Pune: The state govt has missed yet another deadline to implement the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Shetkari Karjamafi Yojana (farm loan waiver), with agriculture minister Dattatray Bharane on Sunday attributing the delay to technical issues.Earlier, the state had announced that disbursal of the loan waiver amount would begin on July 5, after failing to meet its previous June 30 deadline.Speaking to reporters in Indapur, Bharane said, “The financial allocation for the scheme is being made through supplementary demands. Once the legislature approves it during the ongoing assembly session and the governor gives his assent, the loan waiver amount will start being credited to farmers’ bank accounts.”“I admit that the process has been delayed. However, the govt wants to ensure that the loan waiver amount is credited to farmers’ accounts only after all necessary details are verified to avoid any complications later. It is true that we have missed the deadline, but there are certain technical issues being resolved and the disbursal will begin soon,” Bharane said.Earlier, while addressing a gathering in Indapur, the minister said the scheme would benefit over 56 lakh farmers and involve a loan waiver of over Rs36,500 crore. He said it would be the largest farm loan waiver programme in the state’s history in terms of both financial outlay and the number of beneficiaries.On Saturday, the state govt sought details of farmers who pay income tax (I-T). Bharane said, “The state has sought those details since information about I-T payers is with the central govt. Once the details are received, the process of disbursing the loan waiver amount will move forward.” He hinted that farmers who pay I-T and have higher incomes may be excluded from the scheme.“The intention is to ensure that the scheme’s benefits reach poor farmers,” he said.Bharne responded to a query that farmers’ leaders and opposition parties are demanding that the eligibility criteria for the scheme be relaxed. The minister said a sub-committee had already been constituted to examine the issue. “Some changes in the eligibility criteria may be made based on the committee’s recommendations. However, farmers who are already eligible will not have to wait to receive the benefits,” he added.
