Mumbai, Aug 7 (IANS) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday announced that every eligible farmer in Maharashtra will receive the benefits of the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Farmers Loan Waiver Scheme.

Formulated to empower farmers, enrich agriculture and advance Maharashtra’s development, the scheme marks a significant step in bolstering the financial stability of the state’s agrarian community. In the first phase, Rs 5,028 crore was deposited via online transfer into the loan accounts of 6.22 lakh eligible farmers. The online distribution process was officially launched by the Chief Minister today.

Speaking on the occasion, CM Fadnavis said Rs 5,028 crore had been directly deposited into the accounts of 6.22 lakh farmers whose Aadhaar authentication was completed in the first phase. He added that the state government had directed all banks to immediately issue fresh Kharif crop loans to beneficiaries, ensuring they receive financial backing for the upcoming season.

Highlighting the simplicity of the digital process, the Chief Minister explained that the scheme operates entirely online, eliminating the need for farmers to submit physical applications. Banks have uploaded the list of eligible beneficiaries onto the portal developed by MahaIT, which has also been published at Gram Panchayat offices, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and respective bank branches. Each farmer has been assigned a unique identification number.

To complete the process, farmers need to present this number at an Aaple Sarkar Seva Kendra, register on AgriStack and complete Aadhaar authentication. The Chief Minister also instructed Guardian Ministers to highlight district‑specific grievances or pending issues so the Cabinet Sub-Committee can address them constructively.

Praveen Darade, Principal Secretary of the Cooperation Department, presented data showing that 53 financial institutions, including 30 District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs), 12 nationalised banks and private banks, have uploaded loan account details to the MahaIT portal. Data for approximately 32 lakh loan accounts has been submitted, and as of August 6, 2026, Aadhaar authentication has been completed for 12.10 lakh loan accounts.

Earlier, Cooperation Minister Babasaheb Patil said that a total of 1.40 lakh farmers under the scheme had been excluded. Of these, 94,000 were excluded for paying income tax and 46,000 due to other technical or administrative grounds. The state government 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, said the minister.

An initial list of 32 lakh farmers was compiled using data from 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,” Minister 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, the minister added.

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. Minister Patil said he had instructed banks not to charge interest on eligible farmers’ accounts effective April 1, 2026.

–IANS

sj/dan