Even after five years passed since the UPA government has promised the farm loan waiver scheme diverting a large share of the total allocated money for the nation to Andhra Pradesh, the state remains in doldrums unable to reel back to normalcy with the loans engulfing the lives of the poor and distraught farmers. Unfortunate incidents of the farmers selling their own organs for money is not an uncommon scene today, merely to pay back the debts to the banks.

Of the Rs 52,000 crore rupees, AP has the highest share of over Rs 11,000 crore which is over 21% while other beneficiaries include UP with just over Rs 9000 crores and Maharashtra with Rs 8,900 crores. Congress bagged several crores of votes with this loan waiver scheme, clearly forming the government in the states which received a bigger share of the pie. 31 seats in Andhra Pradesh, 22 in UP and 16 in Maharashtra had become such a big share that they had to form another UPA government at the center.

But on the flipside, merely for the sake of votes, as Comptroller and Auditor General CAG, points out several farmers who aren't eligible to the benefits have also abused the waiver causing great loss and even death of several other farmers who were worthy and deserving of the same.

CAG has also observed that several non-agricultural loans were turned into Agricultural loans for illegal benefits. There were also many cases the CAG noted where loans were not disbursed to the needy. Are all the benefits announced only for votes? What of the truly poor and needy farmers whose lives could have been saved?

(AW- Anil)