Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today assured that stringent action will be taken against erring officials involved in lapses detected by the CAG in the farm loan waiver schemes. Intervening in the debate on the matter in the Rajya Sabha, he said the matter will first be examined by the Public Accounts Committee. In the Lok Sabha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath assured opposition members that the government is ready for a discussion on the issue. He said the matter will be taken up by the Business Advisory Committee scheduled to meet tomorrow. The matter was raised in both the Houses during the Zero Hour.
Opposition parties in the Lok Sabha demanded a comprehensive debate on the irregularities pointed out in the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on agriculture debt waiver schemes. They accused the government of not taking timely action against those who are responsible despite the Reserve Bank's directions. Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj wanted an immediate action against the erring bank employees and others who are allegedly involved in the irregularities.
In the Rajya Sabha, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad questioned the government why it has not taken action even after RBI issued directions for action. As Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged this has taken the dimensions of a scam, BJP members trooped into the well raising slogans. Deputy Chairperson Prof. PJ Kurien adjourned the house for ten minutes.
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today said that there has been no misappropriation in the farm loan waiver scheme. Responding to a media query on the sidelines of a function in New Delhi, Mr Pawar sought a comprehensive audit by Comptroller and Auditor General, CAG, of the scheme. He said, CAG has audited the record of only 90,576 farmers, while the total number of beneficiaries stood at 3.7 crore under the Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme. Mr Pawar said the sample size taken by the auditing body to audit the scheme was very small and its scope should be expanded.