By IANS
New Delhi : Congress president Sonia Gandhi Saturday praised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for waiving off farmers’ loans to the tune of Rs.600 billion, saying the decision will bring smiles to the faces of the beneficiaries.
Gandhi, while giving away the Stree Shakti Puraskar awards here, said: “If a farmer commits suicide, the entire family is destroyed and it is the women who suffer most. Therefore, I thank and express gratitude to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the relief given to 40 million farmers.”
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram announced in his national budget presented Feb 29 a loan waiver scheme expected to benefit around 30 million small and marginal farmers owning less than two hectares of land, and a one-time loan settlement for 10 million more.