Media is often hurt whenever a govt fails to take action in public interest. But it remains a mute spectator when the efforts of a public servant are thwarted by the vested interest. The case in point is that of Maharashtra. The govt of India has asked the Maharashtra government not to insist on taking coercive action against erring banks for their failure to give loans to aggrieved farmers.
There is not a word of support for the Chief Minister in the media who meant business and wanted things to get done. It is no secret that bureaucracy is able to stall even best of policies that political masters may plan, as learnt by the Prime Minister himself the hard way.
Union finance secretary has written to the state chief secretary that the row over providing financial aid to the farmers should be resolved by dialogue, instead of initiating criminal proceedings against the banks’ branch managers.
The union finance ministry urged the Maharashtra govt. to set up a coordination mechanism for settling disputes over release of financial aid as criminal proceedings will demoralize officials of financial institutions.
Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister Fadnavis had instructed district collectors to initiate criminal proceedings against the erring branch managers. Fadnavis’s contention was that when farmers in Vidarbha and Marathwada were facing the worst agrarian crisis, it was the responsibility of nationalized and district cooperative banks to liberally offer them loans.
Notices were issued to more than a dozen managers of nationalized and district central cooperative banks.