Farm loan waiver delay deepens drought distress in Marathwada

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: As drought tightens its grip on Marathwada, uncertainty over Maharashtra’s farm loan waiver scheme and delays in releasing beneficiary lists under its One Time Settlement (OTS) component are adding to farmers’ distress, with the alleged suicide of a Nanded farmer bringing the issue into sharp focus.Farmer Shankar Kshirsagar of Borgaon Telang village in Nanded district, who had an outstanding crop loan of Rs 2.08 lakh, allegedly died by suicide in his field after repeatedly failing to find his name in the loan waiver beneficiary lists. Before his death, he recorded a video claiming that despite repeated announcements of loan relief, he had received no benefit.The case has triggered fresh questions over the implementation of the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Shetkari Karj Mukti Yojana 2026, under which crop loans of up to Rs 2 lakh are to be waived.The problem is most acute for farmers covered under the OTS component. Under the scheme, farmers whose outstanding dues exceeded Rs 2 lakh as of March 31, 2026, must first clear the amount above Rs 2 lakh before becoming eligible for the waiver. However, even months after the scheme was announced, many farmers say they still do not know whether they qualify.Deputy Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Nanded, K B Fiske acknowledged that the OTS rollout has yet to begin. “The names of eligible farmers are uploaded on the portal. However, the lists of beneficiaries are not yet released officially anywhere,” he said.Farmer rights activists say the delay is creating anxiety in villages already reeling from crop losses, debt and water scarcity. “The inordinate delay in releasing official lists of farmers eligible for the loan waiver scheme may push many farmers to the brink,” said activist Jayaji Suryawanshi. “Forget Rs 2 lakh outstanding dues, even those farmers who have dues less than Rs 2 lakh are awaiting their names in the lists. State govt must take serious cognisance and address bottlenecks and red-tapism even at the level of banks,” he added.State govt had projected that around 56 lakh farmers would benefit from the scheme. However, the cooperation department has so far released only three lists covering about 24.7 lakh beneficiaries, less than half the projected figure.A senior revenue department official said govt may first complete the process for farmers with crop loans below Rs 2 lakh before rolling out the OTS component. “The OTS scheme for loans above Rs 2 lakh is scheduled to be rolled out sequentially after the first phases. There is, however, no official communication,” the official said on condition of anonymity.Opposition parties have alleged that the exercise has been slowed by efforts to verify central tax records and filter out ineligible beneficiaries.Stay updated with the latest Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar news. Download the TOI App.