Maharashtra loan waiver scheme: Rs 5,000 crore disbursed in accounts of 9.43 lakh farmers

Mumbai: Banks have so far deposited Rs 5,141 crore in accounts of 9.43 lakh farmers under the loan waiver scheme of the Maharashtra government, Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil said on Tuesday. The government has handed over a list of 17.68 lakh farmers and transferred Rs 10,332 crore to banks and the disbursal of this loan amount will pick up speed in coming days, he said. [caption id=“attachment_4126359” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Maharashtra revenue minister Chandrakant Patil. Twitter@ChDadaPatil[/caption] After due verification, banks have transferred Rs 5,141 crore in accounts of 9.43 lakh farmers eligible for loan write-off under the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari Sanman Yojana (CSMSSY), the minister said. Patil, commenting on a farmer agitation led by senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha in Akola, said the latter should realise the government has already started implementation of the loan waiver scheme. “He (Sinha) would realise there was no need for him to continue with his agitation,” he said. Patil said in the next 10 days, the government expects to clear another list of 40 lakh to 48 lakh eligible farmers. Disbursal of the loan waiver amounts will pick up speed after due verification is done, the minister said. Patil said overall 80 lakh to 82 lakh farmers are expected to benefit from the Rs 34,000-crore loan waiver scheme announced in June this year. Replying to queries over the delay in depositing loan waiver amounts in farmer bank accounts, Patil said this was due to “faulty” data collection (on eligible beneficiaries) by the nationalised banks. In respect of Sinha’s agitation over bollworm damaging cotton crop in Vidarbha, he said the government has already issued orders to assess the extent of damage. He said the government will compensate farmers who have availed crop insurance and also consider bailing out those who have not opted for insurance.