Mumbai, Mar 12 (PTI) Congress legislature party leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Thursday criticised the Maharashtra government over the farm loan waiver announced in the state budget, alleging that the conditions attached to the scheme amount to a betrayal of farmers.
Speaking during the discussion on budgetary demands in the legislative assembly, Wadettiwar said three farmers die by suicide every day in the state.
The government has fixed September 30, 2025, as the cut-off date for the loan waiver, he said, claiming it would deprive many farmers of its benefit.
He questioned how farmers with loans exceeding Rs 2 lakh would benefit from the scheme and said the government must clearly explain the eligibility criteria.
Wadettiwar also said the government had earlier promised to clear loan entries from the 7/12 land records of farmers but there has been no clarity on the issue so far.
The loan waiver mentioned in the budget is a betrayal of farmers, he said.
Tabling the state budget for 2026-27 in the assembly last week, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a loan waiver scheme for farmers, wherein crop loans of up to Rs 2 lakh till September 30, 2025, will be written off.
The Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Shetkari Karjmafi Yojna will benefit farmers, Fadnavis said, adding there will be a Rs 50,000 incentive for other eligible farmers who are regular in repayments of loans.
Wadettiwar demanded a bonus of Rs 20,000 per hectare for paddy farmers in the Vidarbha region, claiming the budget did not mention the demand. He also urged the government to increase the procurement quota for paddy, saying many farmers are facing difficulties after exhausting their limits.
The Congress leader claimed that despite claims of a “double-engine government”, Maharashtra has not received financial assistance from the Centre after heavy rains in the state.
Central teams had visited Maharashtra twice to assess the damage and the state government had sent a proposal in November last year, but the funds were yet to be released, said the legislator.
He said damage to farmlands and wells due to heavy rains has still not been repaired.
The government organised an artificial intelligence agriculture event in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex “at a cost of about Rs 500 crore, while three farmers end their lives daily”, he said.
The Congress leader further alleged corruption in lift irrigation schemes in the Tapi basin, claiming funds were being misused by showing incorrect command areas on paper.
He also raised concerns over the law and order situation in the state and alleged irregularities in police recruitment in Beed district.
Wadettiwar questioned why a “controversial police officer under the scanner of the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with an alleged Rs 700 crore recovery case in Ahilyanagar district” had been given an important posting, without elaborating on it.
He also said the seizure of counterfeit currency with a face value of Rs 91 lakh in Chandrapur district was a serious security concern and demanded strict action in the case. PTI MR NR
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