Maharashtra CM Fadnavis to Finance Minister Jaitley: Direct banks to expedite crop loan to farmers

Union Minister for Finance Arun Jaitley (third from right) with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in New Delhi. (PTI Photo/File)

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday urged the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to direct the financial institutions to expedite the process of crop loan disbursement to farmers in the current Kharif season.

In a letter to the FM, the CM said the response of banks in the disbursement of crop loan to farmers is not at all satisfactory and is a cause of serious concern. Fadnavis said, “I urge the FM to please take note of the developments and direct the banks to expedite the process of crop loan disbursement to farmers. The monsoons have arrived and sowing of crops have begun. In absence of fresh crop loan, farmers are finding it hard to carry out the crop sowing.” While explaining the measures taken by the state government, the chief minister said,

“The guardian ministers have been given the responsibilities of monitoring and facilitating the crop loan to farmers in their respective districts. But unfortunately, the response of banks is poor.”

Referring to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari Sanmaan Yojna, the crop loan waiver scheme, chief minister said, “The loan waiver has helped farmers to wipe out the long-pending debts. Thus, it has enabled larger number of farmers to become eligible for new crop loan from banks.”

The state government has brought maximum number of farmers within the institutional financial credit system. Now, it is for the banks to deliver the job. The state has provided Rs 23,000 crore loan waiver to more than 50 lakh farmers in last one year, he said.