- Grand Gratitude Ceremony Organized by the Agricultural Community
- Historic Scheme to Benefit 5.6 Million Farmers with a Financial Outlay of ₹36,585 Crore
MUMBAI, July 14:
The farming community of Maharashtra has organized a grand gratitude and felicitation ceremony on Wednesday, July 15, to honour Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for implementing the historic ‘Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Farmer Debt Relief Scheme.’ The landmark initiative is set to benefit 5.6 million farmers across the state. The event will be held at the Yashwantrao Chavan Center in Nariman Point from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, with BJP State President Ravindra Chavan attending as the guest of honour.
The ceremony comes in the wake of significant policy relaxations announced by Chief Minister Fadnavis during his reply to the final week proposal debate in the State Legislative Assembly. Under the newly modified Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar scheme, the previous cap on beneficiaries of the Mahatma Jotirao Phule Debt Relief Scheme who were earlier restricted to a maximum benefit of 50,000 has been entirely dismantled. These farmers will now be eligible for debt relief of up to 200,000. Furthermore, the Chief Minister announced the waiver of the condition requiring timely repayment of loans drawn in the 2026-27 fiscal year for regular payees, sparking widespread satisfaction among the state’s agrarian community.
Comprehensive data compiled from nationalized, commercial, private, and District Central Cooperative (DCC) banks indicates that the expanded debt relief scheme will disburse a staggering 36,585 crore to 5.6 million farmers. Under previous iterations of the scheme, farmers with defaults exceeding 200,000 were entirely excluded from receiving benefits. However, the revamped policy guarantees a debt waiver of up to 200,000, even if the total outstanding dues exceed that amount.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis emphasized that despite the substantial additional fiscal burden this decision places on the state treasury, the government remains steadfast in its resolve to ensure that no eligible farmer is left behind. It is to celebrate this farmer-centric decision that agricultural representatives from across Maharashtra have organized this massive felicitation event.
