Mungantiwar seeks extension of crop loan disbursal to October 30 after loan waiver
Sudhir Mungantiwar asked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to extend the kharif crop loan deadline so farmers granted loan waiver are not denied fresh credit.
MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar has urged that the deadline for disbursal of kharif crop loans be extended to October 30, 2026. He took the initiative to give relief to farmers who, having received the benefit of the loan waiver, are waiting for crop loans for the new season. He met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the Varsha official residence in Mumbai and submitted a memorandum.
Lists of some farmers eligible for a one-time settlement (OTS) under the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Farmer Loan Waiver Scheme have not yet reached the banks concerned. Some loan accounts and bank records have also not been updated. Mungantiwar told the Chief Minister that eligible farmers should not be deprived of crop loans merely because of delays in administrative processes.
Taking note of the demand, Fadnavis directed the Principal Secretary of the Agriculture Department to take the necessary action immediately.
Mungantiwar said the state government, mindful of the difficulties of farmers in the state, decided on a loan waiver under the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Farmer Loan Waiver Scheme. He said it has been a big relief for farmers and has given those weighed down by debt the hope of standing on their feet again. He congratulated and thanked the state government for the decision.
However, farmers who have received the waiver now face the question of how to obtain crop loans for the new season. The list of eligible farmers under the OTS is yet to reach the banks, and the loan accounts and bank records of some farmers have not been updated. This could hamper crop loan disbursal.
Mungantiwar said that this year deficient rain has deepened the crisis in farming. Farmers, caught between worry for their crops, rising production costs and financial difficulties, are looking to crop loans for support. If, despite the waiver, they do not get crop loans merely because a list is pending or a bank record is not updated, their difficulties will increase further, he said.
He therefore made three demands. Pending lists of farmers eligible under the OTS should be made available to the banks immediately. The loan accounts and bank records of farmers who received the waiver should be updated. Banks should be given clear instructions so that not a single eligible farmer is deprived of a crop loan because of administrative delay.
Mungantiwar said the government has lightened the burden of debt on farmers' heads through the waiver, and it is now necessary that the same farmers get the support of crop loans for the new season. He made an earnest demand that the deadline be extended and prompt action taken so that eligible farmers get loans in time, and that the farmer's labour and hope for the next season not have to pay the price of administrative delay.
