Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced during the ongoing state budget session that farmers in his state will be permitted to make applications for seeking loan waiver once again and avail compensation immediately.
The Chief Minister explained that some farmers had not been able to fill in their applications for loan waiver due to technical glitches in the system that prevented them from applying. A new application window will be open for such farmers from 1st to 31st March.
Fadnavis made these statements on the same day Maharashtra’s Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao made mentions about the government’s endeavour to waive farmers’ loans during his speech on the first day of the state’s budget session.
Rao had claimed that applications of more than 5.4 million farmers had been approved for loan waivers and the government has already released funds for more than 4.6 million of them ever since Fadnavis had announced a loan waiver package worth Rs. 34,000 crore in June last year.
When questioned on the fact of a few banks charging interest on loan waiver amounts for the period of June to December last year, Fadnavis said only four or five such banks were doing so and his government has already requested them to waive interests on this. He said that in case banks don’t comply with his directions, the government will issue notices to them and will then dissolve their board of directors.