Maharashtra govt silent on farm loan waiver; Guv's address repetition of old points: Congress

Mumbai, Feb 25 (PTI) Maharashtra Congress legislature party leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Wednesday said the Governor's address to the state legislature was a repetition of "old and re-polished points" which presented a misleading picture.

Participating in the discussion on the motion of thanks to the governor for his address to the joint sitting of the Budget session, which began on Monday, Wadettiwar said the government has failed to resolve key issues such as farm loan waiver and rising corruption.

"The address of the governor was a repetition of old points polished and presented again. The government made the Governor present a misleading picture of the state," he said in the legislative assembly.

He said suicide by farmers due to indebtedness continues in Yavatmal and Amravati districts.

"The Governor's address made no mention of farm loan waiver," he added.

Wadettiwar said the government never follows the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Savitribai Phule, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and B. R. Ambedkar, and instead allows social discord to grow in the state.

He alleged inconsistency in the government's claims about a USD 5 trillion economy by 2047, demanding the status of the previous target of making Maharashtra a USD 1 trillion economy by 2024. Targeting the government over healthcare and infrastructure, he said it lacked funds to repair ambulances, even as it is making ambitious claims on the economy.

The Congress leader also raised concerns about the education sector, claiming that more than 2,200 schools in the state are without teachers and several Marathi-medium schools are shutting down.

He suggested that a portion of the funds allocated for the 2027 Kumbh Mela works be diverted towards education.

Wadettiwar said that corruption was rampant in the state.

"Contracts were being awarded to select companies, while the land near the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve and forest habitat areas in Nagpur was being handed over to industrialists," he said, adding that forests are getting damaged despite the government announcing large-scale tree plantation drives. PTI MR NSK