KOLHAPUR/MUMBAI: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday announced the state government has waived off loans of 15 lakh farmers and Rs 6500 crore have been transferred to their accounts successfully.
“We have made the entire process of loan waiver completely transparent. So far, Rs 6500 crore have been transferred to accounts of 15 lakh farmers,” Fadnavis said while interacting with farmers at Warana Nagar near Kolhapur on Saturday.
The opposition had lately raised several question marks over the implementation of the scheme. Speculations of large-scale bungling in the scheme too were rife after the principal secretary of IT department V K Gautam proceeded on a long leave last week. However, with the announcement made today, Fadnavis put to rest all the speculations.
“We have decided to clear the loan accounts in the batches of 10 lakh farmers. Preparing the lists, checking and counterchecking them for all the details and then transferring money takes a time of about two to three days. I hope all the eligible farmers would have received the benefit of the scheme in next 10 to 15 days,” Fadnavis said during the interaction.
“The government is committed to distressed farmers in the state. This is easily visible from the several schemes that the government has rolled out in past three years. The thrust now is on effective implementation,” he said while replying to questions from the audience.
The BJP is trying to woo the breakaway factions of the Congress and the NCP in the Sugar belt of Western Maharashtra. Jana Surajya Party of Vinay Kore, whose family had played a crucial role in the development of the Warana basin and controls several co-operative initiatives, educational and medical institutions in this prosperous belt, is one of such targets. Fadnavis is on a three-day tour of the area.