Farm loan waiver a `massive scam`: BJP

Citing the CAG report on farm loan waiver, BJP alleged that a fresh scam of over Rs 10,000 crore has surfaced in the implementation of the scheme.

New Delhi: Citing the CAG report on farm loan waiver, BJP on Tuesday alleged that a fresh scam of over Rs 10,000 crore has surfaced in the implementation of the scheme and demanded a CBI probe to book the culprits. According to the CAG report, nearly 34 lakh eligible farmers were denied their right to debt waiver and more than 24 lakh ineligible beneficiaries have gained through this "massive scam", BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told reporters here. "The CAG report is an eye opener and the BJP demands immediate CBI inquiry to unearth the real extent of the scam," he said.

The party also demanded that all the eligible farmers should be given the loan waiver benefits taking into account the outstanding as of March 31, 2013. Javadekar noted that CAG has till now only checked 90,000 accounts out of 3.5 cr accounts. "Even with this small sampling, the CAG has found out that 13 per cent eligible farmers were not considered by the lending institutions while preparing list of eligible farmers. Moreover, 8.5 per cent of ineligible beneficiaries got undue windfall profit," Javadekar said. BJP charged that the Congress has become synonymous with corruption as yet another scam has now come to light after the Commonwealth Games, 2G Spectrum, Coal and the VVIP chopper scams. "We demand that the inquiry must fix the responsibility and action must be taken against the guilty," he said, adding that the Swaminathan Commission formula of calculating remunerative prices- which is cost of production plus 50 per cent- be accepted. PTI