Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis reiterated that the state government is committed to implementing the farm loan waiver scheme, saying the decision would be taken “at an appropriate time” in line with existing rules and financial procedures.
“This government will not go back on a single promise. There are rules and a specific way to implement farm loan waivers. The decision will be taken at the appropriate time,” said Fadnavis while speaking in Pune on Saturday.
Last week the state government announced that a committee will be set up to investigate the demands for a farm loan waiver. The move came after former independent MLA Bachchu Kadu threatened to intensify his protest on June 16 by deciding to fast and even stop water intake.
Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on June 14 had written to Kadu informing him that a high-level committee would be set up on the issue of farm loan waiver within 15 days.
“A decision on the farm loan waiver will be taken based on the report. And a decision on staying the loan recovery from a defaulter and providing a new loan will be taken by holding a special meeting,” said the letter, which was submitted to Kadu by industries minister Uday Samant.
All political parties had extended support to Kadu’s agitation along with Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar. A state-wide roadblock agitation was planned on June 15.
{{/usCountry}}All political parties had extended support to Kadu’s agitation along with Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar. A state-wide roadblock agitation was planned on June 15.
{{/usCountry}}The chief minister’s latest statement comes in the backdrop of questions raised by the Opposition, especially after deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar recently remarked that the current financial condition of the state does not allow for a farm loan waiver at this stage. Pawar, who also holds the finance portfolio, had instead urged farmers to pay their loan instalments on time, rather than waiting for a waiver announcement.
“A farm loan waiver was promised in the poll manifesto. But today, I want to tell farmers to pay the instalments of the loans they have taken before March 31. Some farmers are not paying their dues assuming the government will announce a waiver,” Pawar had said in Baramati in March.
When asked about these comments, Fadnavis then defended his deputy, stating that Pawar had only articulated the “government’s position.”
“He never said it will never be done,” Fadnavis clarified, adding that the waiver would be implemented, but only in accordance with financial norms and at the right moment.
The assurance is aimed at calming the unease among cultivators, especially ahead of the kharif season, with many expecting clarity on the loan waiver before making fresh borrowings for the cropping cycle.