Co-operative banks must bail out MKVDC: Vikhe

AHMEDNAGAR, Sept 28: Balasaheb Vikhe Patil, MP, has reiterated that the huge fund of about Rs 4000 crore lying idle with cooperative banks in the State be advanced as loan to development agencies such as the Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation and the Maharashtra State Electricity Board for execution of their projects.

Addressing a rally of Shiv Sena workers in this taluka recently, Vikhe was critical about the indifference of the district cooperative banks, particularly the Ahmednagdar District Central Cooperative Bank which is a leading cooperative banks in the country with huge resources, in providing finance to the MSEB. Former minister Ajit Pawar had organised Rs 40 crore loan to the MSEB from co-operative sector banks in Pune district, he said. However, the board of directors of the ADCC Bank headed by Bhasaheb Thorat was opposing the proposal and reluctant to follow the line of their mentor Pawar, he said.

Vikhe demanded that the norms for compensation under crop insurance scheme be changed and farmers be paid compensation at 80 per cent. He said deposits s should be deployed for the development and welfare schemes in rural areas. He dubbed the farmers’ rally held at Bhende early this month under the patronage of Dnyaneshwar cooperative sugar factory chairman Marutrao Ghule — where veteran cooperator Yeshwantrao Mohite and sugar barons Shankarrao Kolhe, Bhausaheb Thorat, Babanrao Pachpute and Appasaheb Rajale were present — a political exercise.