Farmers' mixed reaction to loan waiver lists

The last day of the past month also proved to be a D-Day for the farmers in Maharashtra as the nationalised and cooperative banks have listed out the eligible farmers comes under the government's loan waiver scheme.

The Union government's beefing up policy for farmers through loan waivers left many in jubilation, while at the same time many were left in high dudgeon as they did not find their name in the waiver list.

Nearly 31 lakh farmers alone in Maharashtra would be able to avail the benefit of loan waiver as per the lists put up all over the state. In Maharashtra there are 42 lakhs bank accounts of farmers having lands less than five acres and nearly 24 lakh accounts belong to farmers are in comparatively better position with above 5 acres of land.

But the scheme is under utmost criticism by farmers, chiefly in parts of Maharashtra state where the suicides have been high, when no fresh loans have been issued yet at a time when the sowing season has already commenced and if farmers are not been issued immediate fresh loans, they will have to resort to private money lenders.

It is mandatory for all the government banks to display their list of farmers who are to have their loans written off. Those eligible farmers, whose names are missing in the lists, have been awarded a month to complain and appeal for their names to be listed.

Monday was the last day for banks to finalise the names of the eligible farmers who comes under the government's loan waiver scheme.

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) last week asked the Centre to disburse the advance as early as possible so that banks could be able to issue fresh loans to the farmers. Shortage of money is the biggest logjam before the banks in issuing loans to farmers, it said. Sources said that banks are facing major liquidity problems, which can only be sorted out with the release of advance loans by the Centre to the banks. As a crop loan for both Kharif and Rabi this year, the Maharashtra would need about Rs 9,000 crore.

Farmers' discontent rests with the scheme as it only waives loans of those farmers who have less than two hectares and who received loans from banks between 1997 and 2007. Farmers in Vidarbha-cotton producing region in Maharashtra-generally have more than two hectares of land so as are not able to avail the benefit of Central scheme.

Cases of suicide have been very high in Vidarbha region in recent years and in the present scenario most of them are still kept out of Centre's welfare scheme made for the farmers. Further critics say scheme without fresh loans to purchase seeds and fertilisers do not worth for the farmers.

The Central loan waiver scheme has been viewing by people as the last ditch effort to exert agriculture crisis and save the life of the farmers.

The loan waiver is part of a Prime Minister's scheme, to help small and marginal farmers reeling under debt, which announced a relief package of Rs 60,000 crore for farmers in February this year.