Maharashtra government extends waiver to farmers who took loans after 2008

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Wednesday expanded the ambit of its loan waiver scheme to include even those farmers who had taken loans after 2008, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced in Mumbai.

Earlier, the loan waiver scheme, titled the ‘Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Sanman Yojana’, covered only those farmers who have loans outstanding between 1 April 2012 and 30 June 2016.

Fadnavis made this announcement during his fortnightly programme ‘Mi Mukhyamantri Boltoy’.

BJP legislators Anil Bonde, Ashish Deshmukh, Sanjay Kute and Prashant Bamb called on the chief minister earlier in the day and demanded that farmers who have taken agriculture loans after 1 March 2008 and before 31 May 2012 be given benefit of the loan waiver scheme announced in June.

The erstwhile Congress-led UPA government under Manmohan Singh had announced an agriculture loan waiver and a debt relief scheme of Rs 71,000 crore for the country in 2008.

That scheme covered cultivators who had an overdue of agriculture loans up to 29 February 2008.

“Fadnavis agreed to the demand raised by BJP legislators and announced to include those farmers in his loan waiver scheme,” stated a release issued by the Chief Minister’s Office.

The chief minister also extended the date to repay overdue loans taken by farmers in the year 2016-17 and who are regular payees earlier, from 30 June 2017 to 31 July 2017, the statement said.

In the One Time Settlement (OTS) scheme, farmers can repay outstanding loan in four instalments. Once they repay three instalments, the government will give the fourth instalment of Rs 1.5 lakh as the loan waiver, he said.

Later, while replying to queries of reporters on the inclusion of farmers from Mumbai and its suburbs in the loan waiver scheme, Fadnavis said he will speak at an “appropriate time”.

“The figures (on number of eligible farmers) have been provided by the State Level Banking Committee and they will be rechecked before giving waiver benefit,” he said.

The Fadnavis government had announced in June a “historic” loan waiver of Rs 34,022 crores for farmers and subsequently laid down the eligibility criteria for availing it.