Mahayuti govt hasn't gone back on promise of farm loan waiver: Ajit Pawar

Pune, Aug 25 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said that the Mahayuti government has not gone back on its promise of a loan waiver for farmers, assuring that the measure will be implemented at the appropriate time.

The Opposition Congress has been targeting the ruling alliance, accusing it of holding off on the farm loan waiver and not showing concern for the plight of cultivators in the state.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Pawar said, "We have not strayed from our promise of farm loan waiver. We are committed to what we assured in the Mahayuti manifesto. A committee has been formed, as such decisions require careful consideration of financial aspects." He asserted that the government stands firmly with farmers.

"We have never said that we will not grant the waiver. At the right time, the committee will put forth the details," he said.

Pawar also highlighted the government's ongoing measures for farmers, saying the Centre and state together provide Rs 12,500 annually per farmer, and Rs 20,000 crore has been paid to the power utility to cover their electricity bills.

"Apart from this, we provide Rs 1,500 to women under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme. We also grant interest-free loans to farmers so that they don't have to turn to private moneylenders," he said.

Earlier this month, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule stated that instead of a blanket waiver, the government is working towards granting relief to poor farmers whose fields yield nothing, who have taken loans and are on the verge of suicide.

During the monsoon session of the state assembly, the government said that a committee had been formed to study whether a waiver should be granted and how it should be implemented. PTI SPK ARU