36 lakh Maharashtra farmers to get full waiver: CM Fadnavis

Mumbai: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said around 36 lakh farmers in the state, covered under the recently announced farm loan waiver scheme, will have their entire debt waived.

The Maharashtra government had announced a mega agri loan waiver of Rs 34,022 crore on June 24 after a state-wide agitation by farmers earlier that month.

The government had set a cap of Rs 1.50 lakh 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’.

“There are 1.34 crore farmers in Maharashtra, of whom 90 lakh have availed crop loan. Out of it, 89 lakh farmers are eligible for the loan waiver scheme announced by the state government,” Fadnavis said.

“Of the total 89 lakh beneficiaries, nearly 44 lakh farmers would get the maximum benefit of the scheme, as the entire debt of 36 lakh farmers, who have an outstanding loan of up to Rs 1.50 lakh, would be completely waived,” the CM said.