While addressing a rally organised by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Umri, Nanded district, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar was interrupted by an attendee who was quoted asking: “What about the loan waiver for farmers?”
To this, minister paused and said the government had never rejected the notion of a waiver. He listed several ongoing relief measures – nearly ₹32,000 crore allocated for flood-hit farmers, ₹45,000 crore for the “Ladki Bahin” scheme, and around ₹23,000 crore for electricity-bill waiver for farmers.
"The state government has allocated nearly Rs 32,000 crore for flood-affected farmers. It has kept Rs 45,000 crore for the Ladki Bahin scheme. The state is also paying around Rs 23,000 crore for the waiver of electricity bills of farmers. The state is also running schemes like the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana and Shravan Bal Yojana. In such a situation, decisions have to be taken with due consideration," he was quoted as replying.
The ruling alliance in Maharashtra, the Mahayuti government comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP, had earlier promised a blanket farm-loan waiver ahead of the elections. Yet in the state budget, there was no full waiver announcement, prompting criticism from farmer groups.
Pawar reiterated that the promise is intact but must be carefully implemented, given the state’s financial position. He noted that the waiver cannot be done overnight and that detailed groundwork by the committee is underway.
