Digvijaya Singh writes to MP CM Mohan Yadav to clear farmers' mortgage records
Synopsis
Debt-free farmers in Madhya Pradesh are locked out of selling or transacting their own land because a defunct cooperative bank's mortgage entries were never cleared from revenue records. Digvijaya Singh has written to CM Mohan Yadav demanding a coordinated fix — and the case exposes a systemic gap in how India handles bank liquidations and land record updates.
Key Takeaways
Digvijaya Singh wrote to CM Mohan Yadav on 20 August seeking removal of mortgage entries from farmers' land records linked to the defunct Bhumi Vikas Bank .
The Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sahakari Krishi Evam Gramin Vikas Bank (Bhumi Vikas Bank) is closed and under liquidation, but old mortgage entries persist in revenue records.
Affected farmers cannot sell land, complete mutation, or partition property despite having cleared their loan dues.
The issue was flagged to Singh by Kedar Sirohi , a former member of the MP Krishi Salahkar Parishad from Harda .
Singh has sought corrections in both official revenue records and the MP Bhulekh portal through coordinated action by the Cooperative and Revenue departments.
Veteran Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh on Thursday, 20 August wrote to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, urging him to direct officials to remove mortgage entries from the land records of farmers who have repaid loans taken from the now-defunct Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sahakari Krishi Evam Gramin Vikas Bank — popularly known as the Bhumi Vikas Bank. The letter highlights a persistent administrative gap that is blocking debt-free farmers from selling, partitioning, or transacting in their own land.
The Core Problem
The Bhumi Vikas Bank had extended long-term agricultural loans to farmers against the mortgage of their land. The bank has since been closed and is currently under liquidation. However, according to Singh's letter, mortgage entries continue to appear in official revenue records even for farmers who have fully repaid their dues or settled their accounts under applicable arrangements.
'The land of many farmers is still shown as mortgaged in the revenue records despite the bank being closed and under liquidation,' Singh noted in his communication to the Chief Minister.
How Farmers Are Being Affected
The stale mortgage entries are reportedly creating significant hurdles for farmers in Madhya Pradesh. Affected farmers are unable to sell their land, complete mutation processes, carry out property partitions, or execute other routine land-related transactions — despite having no outstanding liabilities with the defunct bank.
Singh said the matter was brought to his attention through an email from Kedar Sirohi, a former member of the Madhya Pradesh Krishi Salahkar Parishad and a resident of Harda. Sirohi's communication reportedly cited specific cases illustrating the difficulties faced by farmers due to the unresolved record entries.
What Singh Has Demanded
The Congress leader has urged Chief Minister Yadav to direct officials of the Cooperative and Revenue departments to jointly identify eligible farmers and initiate early release of their mortgaged land entries. He also specifically sought correction of the relevant records on the MP Bhulekh portal — the state's official online land records platform — once the mortgage entries are cleared from revenue records.
'My request is that you give necessary directions to the concerned officers of the Cooperative and Revenue departments to ensure early release of mortgaged land of eligible farmers and necessary correction in revenue records and on the MP Bhulekh portal,' Singh wrote.
Broader Context
This is not an isolated administrative issue. Across India, the winding down of cooperative banks has repeatedly left behind unresolved encumbrances in land records, creating a grey zone where farmers are technically debt-free but legally encumbered. In Madhya Pradesh, the liquidation of the Bhumi Vikas Bank has left this administrative loose end unaddressed for an indeterminate period. The issue underscores a systemic gap in coordinating bank closure procedures with state revenue record updates — a process that requires active intervention from both the Cooperative and Revenue departments. Singh's letter seeks a coordinated, time-bound process to resolve the backlog and restore full transactional rights to affected farmers.
Point of View
Leaving farmers trapped in a bureaucratic no-man's land. The MP government's response will be the real test — this is the kind of low-visibility, high-impact fix that rarely makes headlines but directly determines whether agrarian land markets function. If Yadav acts, it resolves a genuine injustice; if he does not, Singh has a ready-made campaign issue heading into the next electoral cycle.
NationPress
20 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are farmers' land records still showing mortgages despite loan repayment?
The mortgage entries were created when farmers took long-term agricultural loans from the Bhumi Vikas Bank. Even though the bank has been closed and is under liquidation, and many farmers have cleared their dues, the corresponding mortgage entries were never formally removed from Madhya Pradesh's revenue records or the MP Bhulekh portal.
What is the Bhumi Vikas Bank and why was it shut down?
The Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sahakari Krishi Evam Gramin Vikas Bank, known as the Bhumi Vikas Bank, was a cooperative bank that provided long-term agricultural loans to farmers against the mortgage of their land. The bank has since been closed and is currently under liquidation; the exact timeline of closure is not specified in available reports.
How are farmers in Madhya Pradesh being affected by the unresolved mortgage entries?
Farmers who have repaid their loans are unable to sell their land, get mutation done, partition property, or carry out other land-related transactions because the old mortgage entries remain active in official revenue records and the MP Bhulekh portal, creating legal and administrative hurdles.
What has Digvijaya Singh asked CM Mohan Yadav to do?
Singh has urged CM Yadav to direct the Cooperative and Revenue departments to jointly identify eligible farmers, release the mortgage entries from their land records, and update the MP Bhulekh portal accordingly so that affected farmers can freely transact in their land.
Who brought this issue to Digvijaya Singh's attention?
The matter was flagged to Singh through an email from Kedar Sirohi, a former member of the Madhya Pradesh Krishi Salahkar Parishad and a resident of Harda, who cited specific cases of farmers affected by the unresolved mortgage entries.
