Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that around 36 lakh farmers in the state, covered under the recently announced farm loan waiver scheme, will have their entire debt waived. The government had announced a mega agri loan waiver of 34,022 crore rupees on June 24 after a state-wide agitation by farmers earlier that month. The government had set a cap of 1.50 lakh rupees for the loan waiver.
There are a total of 89 lakh cultivators who are beneficiaries under the scheme, the CM said during his television programme ‘Mi Mukhyamantri Boltoy’. The topic of yesterday’s show was farmer loan waiver and its reach out, according to a press note issued by the Chief Minister’s Office.
The remaining farmers, whose outstanding loan amount is slightly more than 1.50 lakh rupees, can also avail the benefit by paying the difference above 1.50 lakh rupees cap, he said.
Mr. Fadnavis said that of the total 89 lakh beneficiaries, nearly 44 lakh farmers would get the maximum benefit of the scheme. Of these 44 lakh, the entire debt of 36 lakh farmers, who have an outstanding loan of up to 1.50 lakh rupees, will be completely waived.
A majority of beneficiaries are from suicide-prone districts of Yavatmal, Buldhana and Amravati, all located in the Vidarbha region, while a sizable number of farmers are from Akola, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Washim, Beed and Ratnagiri.