No Farm Loan Waiver, Farmers Must Repay installment by March 31: Ajit Pawar

Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday ruled out the possibility of a farm loan waiver, urging farmers to pay their crop loan installments on time.

In the rally of Malegaon sugar mill at Baramati tehsil, Pawar addressed concerns that some farmers had delayed repayments, hoping for a waiver. "I was recently in Kolhapur, where Minister Hasan Mushrif asked me to clarify this issue. Let me be clear farmers must pay their crop loan installments for this month before March 31," he stated.

Pawar also stressed the state’s financial constraints, highlighting that the Rs 7 lakh crore budget already provides various benefits to farmers. "We have to consider the welfare of 13 crore people in Maharashtra. While we are providing free electricity to farmers, the government still has to pay those bills to power companies," he added.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Harshwardhan Sapkal launched a scathing attack on the Mahayuti government, accusing it of betraying farmers and women.

In a post on X, Sapkal wrote, "The people who were given a massive majority by the public are now speaking and behaving like tyrants. During the Assembly elections, the Mahayuti alliance promised a farm loan waiver to secure farmers' votes. However, after coming to power, they are now arrogantly demanding that crop loans be repaid before March 31, making it clear that no waiver will be granted."

Sapkal also criticized the government for allegedly deceiving women under the state’s financial assistance scheme. "Beloved sisters have already been cheated. After promising ₹2,100, they are now being handed only ₹1,500. More than 10 lakh women have been disqualified from the scheme under various pretexts, and now they are being told they will have to wait five years to receive the full ₹2,100," he wrote.​