Maharashtra: Shiv Sena MLA gets loan waiver benefit even without seeking it

Nagpur: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis might face some embarrassment as Prakash Abitkar — an MLA of the ruling Shiv Sena — has punctured the government claim that there were no lacunae in the farm loan waiver implementation. Ambitkar revealed that he had received a message about a loan waiver benefit, amounting to Rs 25000, even though he had not applied for it. As per state government norms, Zilla Parishad members, municipal corporators, members of Assembly and Council and Members of Parliament are not eligible for the loan waiver benefit.

Fadnavis, while replying to the discussion in Assembly on Thursday, had ridiculed the erstwhile Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government for depositing Rs 37 lakhs in the account of a rich family under the loan waiver scheme. On Friday morning, it was the turn of Abitkar, who is the Sena MLA rom the Radhanagari constituency in Kolhapur district, to claim that his name was included in the list of loan waiver beneficiaries even though he was not eligible for it.

 “I was stunned when I came to know that my name had appeared in the green list of loan waiver beneficiaries. I was again shocked when I got more details about the list of my (Kolhapur) area. Not only me, but some other people, who are not exactly eligible for the loan waiver scheme, are also part of the list. So, the state’s Information and Technology (IT) department should be more careful while releasing money. My intention is to save government money as poor farmers should get the benefit and not others who do not fit in the criteria,” Abitkar said.He added that poor farmers were in distress and they needed the benefit more than him.

“I had not applied or registered my name anywhere for securing the benefit. Apart from me, names of a school teacher, a state government employee and a retired principal are alsopart of the list,” he said.Presiding officer Yogesh Sagar instructed the state government to take note of all issues that had been raised through point of propriety and reply to the respective legislator within the specified period.