Maharashtra farmers can apply for loan waiver till April 14
What's the story
Maharashtra government has extended the deadline for filing the online application for loan waiver scheme till April 14. Earlier, the deadline for the ambitious Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari Sanman Yojana (CSMSSY) was March 31. When the scheme was announced the deadline was September 15. The government kept extending the deadline to reach more eligible farmers for them to avail the benefits.
Twitter Post
CM Devendra Fadnavis tweets about extension
CM @Dev_Fadnavis extends date for online submission of applications by farmers for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari sanman Yojana (historic loan waiver) from 31 March to 14th April 2018
— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) March 31, 2018
Extension also given for availing benefits of OTS under this scheme upto 30 June 2018
Waiver
Maharashtra had declared loan waivers for farmers in June'17
In June'17, Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government announced the loan waiver scheme benefiting 89L farmers and costing the state exchequer Rs. 34,022cr. The waiver had two categories. Irrespective of a farmer's owned land area, if he/she has a loan, it will be waived up to Rs. 1.5L. Further, if the farmer has cleared his/her dues, the government offers an incentive of Rs. 25,000.
Data
The October deadline for completing the process hit by glitches
The government was hit by unforeseen problems: it found that banks had incorrect personal details, like Aadhaar and bank account number, for lakhs of farmers. They didn't even have accurate details of loans taken.
Halla Bol Andolan
But NCP not happy with just loan waivers
The NCP had kicked a 'Halla Bol Andolan' in January this year. Three legs of this protest in Jalgaon, Vidarbha, and Marathwada have concluded. Apart from complete loan waiver, the party also called for the implementation of Swaminathan Commission report's recommendation to ensure better prices for agricultural products. The fourth leg of this agitation will start in Kolhapur from April 2.