Nagpur: The first list issued by the state govt covers more than 5.5 lakh farmers from Vidarbha under the farm loan waiver scheme. The highest number is in Buldhana, with more than 1.1 lakh farmers included, and the least is in the tribal district of Gadchiroli, with barely 6,200-odd names.Buldhana is followed by Yavatmal, with more than one lakh farmers in the list. Yavatmal has been infamous for agrarian distress over the years. Gadchiroli has been insulated from the crisis and does not feature in the farmer suicide-prone districts either.The list has been drawn on the basis of data submitted by banks after scrutiny, like eligibility norms and loan amount. This includes names of borrowers of both district central cooperatives (DCCs) and nationalised banks. Sources say the cooperatives are faring better than the nationalised banks as the latter need a push. The slow progress by govt banks has raised a concern, said sources.In eastern Vidarbha, as much as 70% of the data has been submitted by cooperatives, said a state govt source. The respective district collectors would be pushing the govt banks to speed up the work, said a source part of the development.Farmers who find their names will have to now get their Aadhaar authentication and other KYC done to finally avail the waiver. If the process is through, the amount will be credited to their loan accounts. The process is being monitored by the state’s department of cooperatives.East Vidarbha, which comes under the Nagpur division, has over 1.50 lakh farmers in the list. The highest number is in Chandrapur at 43,000-odd. Nagpur district has 24,000 farmers in the first list. In West Vidarbha, under the Amravati division, the first list has over 3.9 lakh farmers. The division covers districts like Yavatmal, Buldhana, Washim, Akola and Amravati.Farmers say they are encountering data mismatch while doing the KYC. “This has left many farmers wary of completing the KYC process,” said Manish Jadhav from Swamibhan Shetkari outfit in Yavatmal.
