2.4 lakh farmers left in lurch over Aadhaar card

Nagpur: The benefits of the loan waiver scheme are eluding 2.4 lakh farmers across the state, who are not being considered because they lack Aadhaar cards. This in spite of cooperation minister Subhash Deshmukh assuring the Legislative Assembly that the government would take steps to make Aadhaar cards optional for farmers who want to avail of the scheme by amending the rules.

After receiving 56 lakh applications from the families of farmers who applied for the waiver and the incentive scheme, a list of 37 lakh farmers was cleared by the government and Rs 14,564 crore was deposited in the farmers’ bank accounts. Out of these, eight lakh farmers are eligible for the One-Time Settlement (OTS) as their loan is more than Rs 1.5 lakh. Under per this scheme, if they pay the remaining outstanding amount, the government will pay Rs 1.5 lakh. But less than one lakh farmers have responded to the scheme.

The processing of applications has seen delays owing to various issues regarding mismatched data. The government was considering allowing farmers to file their applications without the mentioning their Aadhaar number. If it is decided that Aadhaar numbers are compulsory for the waiver, only 2.4 lakh applications will be processed, said an officer of the cooperative department.