Mumbai, Aug 5 (IANS) A total of 1.40 lakh farmers under the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Loan Waiver Scheme in Maharashtra have been excluded. Cooperation Minister Babasaheb Patil said on Wednesday that of these, 94,000 were excluded for paying income tax and 46,000 due to other technical or administrative grounds.
Patil stated that the debt relief amount for 16.96 lakh eligible farmers would be deposited directly into their accounts within two days, following which a second list of beneficiaries would be published. The state government has decided to waive short-term crop loans taken between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2025, covering unpaid debts up to September 30, 2025, and March 31, 2026.
An initial list of 32 lakh farmers was compiled using data from District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs), nationalised banks and rural banks. It included farmers eligible for up to Rs 2 lakh in debt waiver as well as those qualifying for incentive schemes. “Following verification by the Central Board of Direct Taxes, 94,000 farmers were identified as income tax payers. An additional 46,000 farmers were removed due to other discrepancies,” Patil said.
Out of the 16.96 lakh eligible farmers, 7.03 lakh are linked to DCCBs and 9.93 lakh to commercial and nationalised banks, accounting for a total debt relief sum of Rs 13,336 crore. As of today, 11.46 lakh farmers have completed identity verification through 32,000 government service centres across the state. A list of 13 lakh farmers previously returned to banks for corrections is expected to be processed shortly. Patil said he had instructed banks not to charge interest on eligible farmers’ accounts effective April 1, 2026.
The Minister further said that the state government is fully committed to the welfare of farmers. Eligible farmers should link their Aadhaar with their bank accounts, complete Aadhaar authentication and fulfil the necessary procedures promptly as per the instructions issued by the government and banks.
“The respective banks have uploaded the list of eligible beneficiaries under the scheme on the portal developed by MahaIT, and it has also been published at Gram Panchayat offices, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and the concerned bank branches. The process for eligible farmers is extremely simple upon visiting an Aaple Sarkar Seva Kendra. A unique number has been assigned to each eligible beneficiary. Based on this number, registration on AgriStack and Aadhaar authentication are required. This facility has been made available through approximately 32,000 Aaple Sarkar Seva Kendras across the state,” he informed.
Patil claimed that the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Farmer Loan Waiver Scheme is not just a loan waiver. It also boosts farmers’ confidence, encourages financial discipline, and provides fresh momentum to the rural economy.
“This is a significant step taken by the state government towards making farmers self-reliant, agriculture prosperous and Maharashtra more progressive,” he noted.
According to the minister, the state government has also provided haircut guidelines for non-performing asset (NPA) accounts held with nationalised and rural banks. Aside from State Bank of India and Union Bank, all other participating banks have agreed to the proposed haircut structure. The settlement percentage on NPA account ledger balances for debt relief in nationalised and rural banks has been categorised as: on or before September 30, 2021: 35 per cent of loan balance on the NPA date; October 1, 2021 – September 30, 2022: 45 per cent of loan balance; October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023: 55 per cent of loan balance; October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024: 70 per cent of loan balance; and October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025: 85 per cent of loan balance.
–IANS
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