Farmers’ assets to be considered for loan waiver

Mumbai: Financial background of small land-holding farmers might be checked while their loans are waived. This because, according to state sources, they want to emphasize that only needy farmers yield the benefit of loan waiver. The government is presently creating a framework for the committee to be appointed to study the loan waiver.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had announced the loan waiver in the backdrop of the farmers’ strike. He had said that only marginal farmers would be granted the waiver and promised to appoint a committee of experts to decide the rules of the loan waiver.

On condition of anonymity, a senior minister said that various criteria would be chalked out so that only needy farmers get the help. “We are in the process of compiling the entire data of farmers, their land holdings, financial background etc. The government is also considering farmers region-wise because, in western Maharashtra, land holding is less but production is more while in Marathwada and Vidarbha, the land holdings are more but production is very less. Hence, we are considering including income of the farmer in the criteria for the loan waiver,” he said.

Talking about framework for the committee, another minister from the government said, “We do not want to repeat mistakes made by the Congress-NCP government while granting the loan waiver. Our norms for the land holdings will be flexible, though only marginal farmers would be the first beneficiaries. There are other big farmers in Vidarbha and Marathwada who, last time, did not get any benefit from the loan waiver. We will consider the best possible guidelines so that maximum should benefit.” The government is also developing software to implement waiver and to feed the farmers' data into it. An official from the CMO said that this is to bring transparency and hence the CM has sought time.