The loan waiver scheme implemented by the Maharashtra government will be exclusively for agriculturists whose only source of income is from farming. According to a Government Resolution (GR), dated June 14, those getting income from other jobs, even if they own farms, will be out of the ambit of the scheme, under which Rs. 10,000 initial crop loan assistance is provided to farmers.
“The Rs. 10,000 initial loan assistance scheme is meant for farmers in distress who have agriculture as the only source of income. Hence, a detailed list is prepared in the GR that will filter out those who have other sources of income,” state Cooperation Minister Subhash Deshmukh said on Friday.
“For the first time such a meticulously drafted GR is prepared to weed out the undue beneficiaries. Many teachers, professors, shop owners and service providers from rural and semi-urban areas are not solely dependent on agriculture, though they avail crop loan for cultivation,” he said.
The GR states that all those teaching or working in local body-run and government-aided schools in the state will be disqualified from the scheme. While those registered under the Maharashtra Shops and Establishment Act-1948 will also be omitted from the list of beneficiaries, says the GR. The GR further mentions that t all the sitting elected representatives from panchayat level to the Central government as well as those who were previously on such posts are not eligible for the initial loan assistance scheme.
“The Rs. 10,000 assistance is only for the farmers who are in distress. To avoid any diversion of money from agriculture, the state has come up with this GR and the list of those who qualify and those who do not qualify as farmers,” a senior official from the cooperation department said.
“Some senior principal secretary-level officials from cooperation, agriculture, finance and revenue departments sat and brainstormed to come up with the GR that will benefit only the farmers,” the official said.
The GR also mentions that all the sitting elected representatives from panchayat level to the Central government as well as those who were previously on such posts, are omitted from the initial loan assistance scheme.
“More than 80 per cent of the teaching and non-teaching staff from rural areas have agricultural land. If most of them were availing crop loan then they are now going to be excluded from the list of beneficiaries,” the official said.
