NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Saturday welcomed the Maharashtra government’s decision to relax key eligibility conditions under the farm loan waiver scheme, saying the move would ensure that nearly 55 lakh farmers receive the intended benefit.
Reacting to the state government’s announcement, Pawar said removing the conditions linked to 2019 and 2026–27 would address a long-standing issue that had prevented a large number of eligible farmers from availing loan waiver benefits.
“Since you are talking about farmers, the removal of the 2019 condition and the 2026–27 condition means that the government’s estimate of benefiting 55 lakh farmers will now become a reality. By removing these two conditions, around 55 lakh farmers will definitely benefit. Earlier, these conditions were causing injustice to nearly 70% of farmers,” Pawar said.
However, the legislator argued that the government’s decision still leaves out several farmers who have been struggling with debt for years.
Pawar pointed out that many cultivators who had borrowed money were excluded from previous loan waiver schemes introduced in 2017, 2019, and the latest initiative as well. He urged the state government to review the remaining eligibility criteria to ensure that no deserving farmer is left without financial relief.
The Maharashtra government’s revised loan waiver policy has sparked political reactions, with both the ruling alliance and the opposition acknowledging that easing the eligibility norms could extend relief to lakhs of indebted farmers across the state.
