Mumbai: The Mahayuti govt had initially estimated that its Punyashlok Ahilyabai Holkar loan waiver scheme would benefit 56 lakh farmers in the state. However, its exclusion criteria have cut the number down by around 1.4 lakh so far, reducing the number to around 54.6 lakh, according to officials.The waiver does not apply to farmers who pay income tax. The latest I-T data received by the state shows that 94,000 farmers from the beneficiary list pay income tax. Another 47,000 farmers did not fit other criteria listed in the exclusions, sources say. As a result, the number will be reduced by 1.4 lakh.In the scheme, 32 lakh farmers had been shortlisted for the waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh. Another 24 lakh had been shortlisted for the incentive payment, which will be given to farmers who have been repaying their loans regularly.The reduction will take place in the 32 lakh beneficiaries estimated for the loan waiver scheme. The number will now be around 30.6 lakh.So far, the govt has announced a list of 16.9 lakh beneficiaries from the 30.6 lakh beneficiaries for the loan waiver. Of these, 7 lakh farmers have overdue loans from district central cooperative banks and 9.6 lakh from nationalised banks. This amounts to loans worth Rs 13,336 crore. The total funds estimated for the loan waiver scheme are Rs 36,585 crore.The roll-out of the waiver will be done only for those who have Aadhaar-authenticated bank accounts and Farmer IDs. So far, Aadhaar authentication has been concluded for around 6 lakh from the list of 16.9 lakh. Its second list is expected soon. “The delays are mainly caused because of a mismatch between the Aadhaar and bank details and a lack of records in the bank about the overdue crop loan. Once these are resolved, we can announce the next list,” said a senior official.The state had declared the loan waiver on June 2, and it was among the key promises in Mahayuti’s manifesto before the 2024 assembly polls. It covers short-term crop loans taken between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2025. It has three components: a debt waiver, one-time settlement and incentive benefits for those who regularly service their loans.“Farmers who are not on the first list should not panic. The second list will be announced soon,” said state cooperation minister Balasaheb Patil.
