With demand for loan waiver becoming strong, CM turns to Centre

The CM has demanded a relief package from the central government. He will be in Delhi on Friday, most likely to press for the demand

MUMBAI: Over the last four days, unusual rainfall in large parts of the state -- 30 districts in four regions, especially the politically sensitive Marathwada – has washed away farmlands and villages. It is estimated 50 lakh hectares of land have been affected by the devastation and the number of affected farmers is likely to cross 3.5 million.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis handed over a two-page memorandum to the union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday

As farmers are not just staring at losses but also the possibility of a year or more without any crop due to the erosion of soil in the affected farmlands, they are demanding compensation packages as well as farm loan waivers. The demands have come at a time when the state is facing an estimated revenue deficit of ₹45,892 crore in the 2025-26 financial year, and finding it difficult to make budgetary allocations for Ladki Bahin and other populist schemes announced ahead of the assembly polls.

A day after he promised speedy aid to flood-affected farmers, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis handed over a two-page memorandum to the union home minister Amit Shah, who was in the city on Thursday to attend a media function, demanding a relief package from the central government. Fadnavis will be in Delhi on Friday, most likely to press for the demand.

“The floods have destroyed crops on 50 lakh hectares of land and the state government requires relief funds to provide appropriate financial assistance to the affected farmers,” stated the CM’s letter to Shah.

“We are expecting maximum funds under the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) so that those affected can be compensated against crop losses, livelihood support, livestock losses, restoration of damaged property among others,” the letter said. It was signed by Fadnavis and deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar.

Meanwhile, with the farmers’ pitch getting louder by the day, on Wednesday, on his tour of Beed, an irked deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who also holds the finance portfolio, told a group of farmers who had voiced their demand: “We cannot pretend that we have a lot of money in the state treasury, as we are supporting our sisters with ₹45,000-crore-a-year through the Ladki Bahin scheme annually and waiving off farmers’ power bills of ₹20,000-crore.”

Regaining composure soon, he assured them that the government will “come up with a plan to consider loan waivers”.

Pawar’s stance drew flak from Opposition leaders, who claimed that the “ruling government had the money to buy MLAs but not help the farmers”.

Congress legislative party chief Vijay Wadettiwar said: “You (Mahayuti government) brought the Ladki Bahin scheme to win votes. Does it mean you will leave the farmers to suffer? Will Ajit dada only watch farmers dying by suicide? It has been a year since the government made the poll promise of loan waiver.”

Speaking in the same vein, Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal said, “The government has money to buy over MLAs and MPs, ₹55,000 crore was spent for the Samruddhi Expressway and ₹88,000 crore for Shaktipeeth Expressway but there is no money for farmers.”

A senior official from the cooperation department said the government will require ₹23,000 crore for the loan waivers, “which is a difficult task, especially as funds were disbursed for loan waivers in 2017 and 2019”. The official added, “The committee appointed to look into the farmers’ loan waiver demands a few months ago, will deliberate on the present situation.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray demanded financial assistance of ₹50,000 per hectare for the crop losses. “This is the right time to give the waiver,” said Thackeray, in the middle of his visits to several areas in the Marathwada region. “The soil erosion has not only washed away crops but also the future of the farmers as it will take them two to five years to restore their farmlands.”

Meanwhile, the state government has already started carrying out panchnamas to assess the extent of the losses. State agriculture minister Dattatray Bharne warned the officials of action should there be any negligence in providing relief to farmers. “They are suffering badly and the administration must ensure that no one is deprived of help. Even if the assessment of a single guntha of a farmer’s land is missed (during panchnama), then officials will be held accountable,” he cautioned.