Fadnavis Reaffirms June Deadline for Farm Loan Waiver

mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday reiterated that his government will implement farm loan waiver before June 30. Speaking after an event in Pune, Mr. Fadnavis said the Cabinet had discussed issues related to loan waiver and the implementation plan was in the final stages.

In October 2025, the State government constituted a committee headed by Praveen Pardeshi to formulate loan waiver criteria and recommend both short-term and long-term measures to address agricultural distress in Maharashtra. The committee was formed following protests led by Bachchu Kadu demanding farm loan waiver.

The Pardeshi-led committee submitted its report to the State government about 21 days ago and the report is currently being examined by the Cooperation Department.

The loan waiver proposal is expected to be submitted to the Cabinet for approval in the coming days, a senior official said. Around 51.24 lakh farmers are expected to benefit from the scheme.

Responding to a question on the issue in Pune, the Chief Minister said the Cabinet sub-committee has already held a meeting on farm loan waiver. “We have received more information from some districts. Once we receive it, we will start the process. We will complete the process before June 30,” he said.

During the Budget Session, Mr. Fadnavis, who also holds the Finance portfolio, announced the Punyashlok Ahilyabai Holkar Loan Waiver Scheme for farmers. Under the scheme, crop loans of up to ₹2 lakh received by eligible farmers will be waived.

Participating in the second edition of the International Agricultural Hackathon, Mr. Fadnavis said that the four products selected at the event will be developed into commercial ventures.

The Prime Minister said that from next year, the name of the program will be changed to ‘Maharashtra Agri Hackathon’ and the best project award will be named after the late Ajit Pawar.