Archive · 8 Aug 2026
Rs 5,028 crore reaches 6.22 lakh Maharashtra farmers in waiver
The state government of Maharashtra is helping farmers pay back their crop loans.
It has a special program called the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Farm Loan Waiver Scheme.
Under this program, the government puts money directly into farmers' bank accounts.
In the first step, it sent more than 5,000 crore rupees to over 6 lakh farmers.
The whole process is online, so farmers do not need to fill out paper forms.
Farmers first need to complete a check using Aadhaar, an identity card system in India.
The Chief Minister says every eligible farmer will get money as soon as their Aadhaar check is finished.
He says if the data arrives in one day, the money can be sent the same day.
Some opposition leaders, however, say the rules are too strict and leave out many farmers who need help.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched the first phase of the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Farm Loan Waiver Scheme, transferring Rs 5,028 crore to the loan accounts of 6.22 lakh farmers.
The scheme waives short-term crop loans of up to Rs 2 lakh taken by eligible farmers between 2019 and 2025, with a fully online and paperless application process.
Banks have uploaded nearly 32 lakh loan accounts to the MahaIT portal, and Aadhaar authentication has been completed for 12.10 lakh accounts as of August 6, 2026.
Cooperation Minister Babasaheb Patil said 1.40 lakh farmers were excluded from the scheme, including 94,000 income tax payers and 46,000 removed for other discrepancies.
Opposition parties allege that restrictive eligibility rules and technical conditions deliberately exclude more than 50 per cent of distressed farmers from benefits.
- Who
- Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who launched the first-phase transfers; Cooperation Minister Babasaheb Patil and Cooperation Department Principal Secretary Praveen Darade provided scheme data.
- What
- Rs 5,028 crore was credited directly to the loan accounts of 6.22 lakh eligible farmers in the first phase of the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Farm Loan Waiver Scheme.
- When
- Friday, August 7, 2026.
- Where
- Maharashtra, India; the distribution was launched at Sahyadri Guest House in Mumbai.
- Why
- To waive short-term crop loans of up to Rs 2 lakh taken by eligible farmers between 2019 and 2025 and provide direct financial relief.
Government (Mahayuti)
Opposition parties
Eligibility and coverage
Government (Mahayuti)
The government says the process is automatic and every eligible farmer will receive benefits once Aadhaar authentication is completed.
Opposition parties
Opposition alleges that restrictive eligibility rules and technical conditions deliberately exclude more than 50 per cent of distressed farmers.
Aadhaar authentication requirement
Government (Mahayuti)
The government says Aadhaar authentication is the only requirement and money can be credited the same day once authenticated data is received.
Opposition parties
Opposition frames the technical conditions as deliberately keeping distressed farmers from receiving benefits.
- Scheme name
- Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Farm Loan Waiver Scheme
- Amount transferred
- Rs 5,028 crore (first phase)
- Farmers benefited
- 6.22 lakh in the first phase
- Loan waiver limit
- Short-term crop loans up to Rs 2 lakh
- Loans covered
- Taken between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2025
- Farmers excluded
- 1.40 lakh (94,000 income tax payers; 46,000 other discrepancies)
- Aadhaar authentication completed
- 12.10 lakh accounts as of August 6, 2026
- Largest regional allocation
- Amravati division: Rs 1,372.17 crore for 1.58 lakh farmers
