The Indian Express had reported that the Maharashtra government’s own Cabinet note had acknowledged that the scheme’s eligibility restrictions would reduce the eventual financial burden on the state by limiting the number of beneficiaries. The note had lent weight to Opposition allegations that several distressed farmers could be left out of the scheme.

Responding to the Opposition’s criticism, Fadnavis said, “In 99.9 per cent of the cases, the terms and conditions will not come in the way of farmers availing the loan waiver. The terms and conditions were necessary to ensure banks don’t collapse. We had to safeguard financial institutions also.”

“All farmers whose debt is within Rs 2 lakh will get the benefit,” he asserted.

“There were loan waivers in 2017, 2020, and 2026. Therefore, some restrictions were necessary to determine who qualifies and who doesn’t. Overall, the objective of the farm loan waiver scheme is to help the maximum number of farmers. In cases where loan waivers are pending or farmers were left out, the government is willing to accommodate them, provided they meet the criteria,” Fadnavis explained.

Fadnavis said that once the Code of Conduct for the MLC elections, which is in force till June 18, ends, the government will make public the finer details of the scheme and ensure that the farm loan waiver is effectively implemented from June 20.

Fadnavis also said that there was no shortage of fertilisers in the state. “Due to the ongoing West Asia conflict, the supply of fertilisers, which are imported, has been impacted. But we have ensured adequate stock to meet farmers’ requirements for the kharif season,” he added. “We have enough stock of mixed fertilisers to fulfil requirements. In cases where farmers opt for specific fertilisers, there may be some shortage,” he admitted.