Maharashtra extends farm loan waiver scheme deadline to June 15

The Maharashtra government today extended till June 15 the deadline for filing online applications for its mega farm loan waiver scheme.

According to sources in Cooperation department, at least 1.5 lakh more farmers could be benefitted due to the new deadline.

Following unprecedented protests by farmers last year, the BJP-led state government had announced a scheme worth Rs 34,022 crore under which farmers could apply for the conditional loan waiver online.

Earlier, the loan waiver scheme, titled Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari Sanman Yojana, covered only those farmers who had loans outstanding between April 1, 2012 and June 30, 2016.

The ambit of the scheme was expanded subsequently to cover those agriculturists who had borrowed loans prior to 2008.

The eligibility criterion was tweaked again to include farmers who had defaulted on debt repayment during period of April 1, 2001 to March 2009. The farmers who were left out of the ambit of loan waivers of 2008 and 2009 were also included in the new scheme.