BJP demands CBI probe in farmers' loan waiver 'scam'

The BJP Tuesday alleged that nearly 34 lakh farmers had been denied their right under the loan waiver scheme of the UPA government and demanded a CBI inquiry to unearth the real extent of the ''scam''.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has checked only about 90,000 accounts out of 3.5 crore accounts of farmers.

"CAG has found out that 13 percent eligible farmers were not considered by lending institutions. Also 8.5 percent ineligible beneficiaries got benefits," Javadekar said.

"A CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) probe should be ordered to get the real picture," he said.

He said figure of eligible farmers not getting the benefit, and number of ineligible beneficiaries is likely to increase once a detailed inspection is carried out.

The Comptroller and Auditor General has said there were serious lapses and malpractices in implementing the government's Rs.52,000 crore ($9.5 billion) farm loan waiver scheme in 2008.

In a report tabled in parliament Tuesday on the "Implementation of Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme, 2008", the CAG said there were irregularities in at least one in five cases.