Congress 20 per cent interest on farmers' bank a/cs for note ban woes
Congress will give voice to hardships faced by people due to demonetisation, Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan said.
Mumbai: Congress on Friday asked government to pay 20 per cent interest to farmers on their bank accounts as "compensation" for hardships faced by them in the wake of demonetisation of high value tenders.
"Government should give 20 per cent interest on bank accounts of farmers as compensation for demonetisation distress. We will give voice to the hardships faced by people due to scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes overnight on November 8 last year," state unit Congress president Ashok Chavan said while addressing a gathering in Wardha in east Maharashtra.
He said the farmers and farm labourers are among the "worst sufferers" of demonetisation while citizens too could not withdraw their own money from banks.
Chavan recalled that then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had launched her campaign to strengthen the Congress' ideology from Wardha.
Wardha is a sister city for Sevagram, and both were used as major centres for the Independence Movement and have importance place in Gandhian era.
Chavan paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave.
The Congress MP also participated in a morcha to district collectorate.
A memorandum containing demands like complete waiver of crop loan to farmers; to women SHGs; scrapping of commission levied on all online transactions; grant of 20 per cent bonus on the basis of MSP of agricultural produce, release of financial assistance to drought-hit farmers as per the High Court's order, was handed over to the district Collector.
Meanwhile, a 'Jan Akhrosh Morcha' was taken out on the collector's office in neighbouring Yavatmal district against demonetisation and a memorandum was submitted to Collector.