Mumbai, Feb 27 (NationPress) Maharashtra's Cooperation Minister, Babasaheb Patil, announced on Friday that to tackle the persistent issue of debt among farmers, the state government instituted a high-level committee on October 30, 2025. This committee is charged with proposing both short-term and long-term solutions to liberate farmers from the so-called "debt trap."

In response to queries from members including Shiv Sena-UBT leader Bhaskar Jadhav and BJP leader Prashant Thakur, the minister informed the state Assembly that the committee has not yet delivered its final report. However, it is currently analyzing data from banks concerning agricultural loans up to June 2025 and arrears as of September 30, 2025, along with records of farmers who have consistently repaid loans over the past five years.

Minister Patil highlighted that out of an anticipated 54.63 lakh loan accounts, data for 52.80 lakh accounts has been collected and is now under computer processing.

He pointed out that over 6,00,000 farmers are still awaiting assistance from the 2017 loan waiver initiative. Out of 50.60 lakh eligible farmers, 44.04 lakh have received the benefits, while efforts are ongoing to extend support to the remaining 6.56 lakh farmers. The 2019 crop loan waiver scheme has shown better completion rates, with 32.29 lakh out of 32.42 lakh eligible farmers already receiving their waivers.

Through the Mahatma Phule scheme, 14.50 lakh farmers who completed Aadhaar authentication have been granted incentive funds for timely loan repayments.

The minister also mentioned that due to the heavy rains and flooding during the Kharif 2025 season, the government has directed the State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) and district banks to implement specific measures.

"These measures include the restructuring of cooperative crop loans in severely affected talukas and a one-year moratorium on the recovery of agriculture-related loans to provide immediate relief for distressed farmers," he stated.

Patil dismissed claims of a funding shortfall, noting that on December 3, 2025, the government approved a computer system for the ongoing implementation of the 2017 scheme.

A budget of Rs 500 crore was allocated during the Winter Session of 2025, and the government has also requested Rs 5,175.51 crore for the 2026-27 fiscal year to maintain these welfare initiatives.

This statement follows Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's remarks on Thursday, where he confirmed the establishment of a dedicated committee to review the loan waiver process, with its report eagerly awaited. He assured the Assembly that the government would fulfill its commitments at the appropriate time.

CM Fadnavis emphasized the lessons learned from past crop loan waiver programs, identifying significant irregularities related to banking errors. "Historically, banks have often provided incorrect account data, and some have revived old, dormant accounts to misappropriate government funds," he noted.

To combat such fraudulent practices, the state is developing a comprehensive digital framework called 'Agri-Stack.' This initiative aims to consolidate farmer registration data, land ownership records, 7/12 extract reports, and Aadhaar-linked verifications to ensure that the benefits of loan waivers reach only the rightful beneficiaries.