Rohit Pawar to launch indefinite hunger strike over Maharashtra farm loan waiver scheme

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar has announced an indefinite hunger strike from 12 June, accusing the Maharashtra government of misleading farmers through a farm loan waiver scheme that he claims is burdened with restrictive eligibility conditions.

The Indian Express reported that the protest will begin in Pandharpur, with Pawar demanding a comprehensive loan waiver and a series of policy changes aimed at providing relief to farmers facing mounting financial distress.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, Pawar alleged that farmers who had been grappling with economic hardship for the past several years had expected meaningful debt relief, but the conditions attached to the government's recently announced scheme would prevent a large number of beneficiaries from receiving assistance.

He said the agitation was intended to secure justice for indebted farmers and urged citizens and farmer organisations to support the movement.

According to Pawar, the government should remove all restrictive conditions and provide a blanket farm loan waiver instead of limiting benefits through eligibility clauses.

Among his key demands is the withdrawal of the provision that limits assistance to Rs 50,000 for farmers who had benefited under the 2019 loan waiver programme. He has called for a uniform loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh for all eligible farmers, irrespective of whether they had received benefits under previous schemes.

Pawar has also sought similar changes to the government's One-Time Settlement (OTS) scheme, arguing that farmers who had availed themselves of the 2019 waiver should not face separate restrictions and should be entitled to the same level of relief as others.

Another major demand relates to farmers whose outstanding loans exceed Rs 2 lakh. Pawar wants the state to waive up to Rs 2 lakh of such loans without requiring farmers to first repay the amount exceeding that threshold.

The legislator has further called for the removal of conditions requiring borrowers to have maintained consecutive loan repayments for two years in order to qualify for incentive payments.

He also demanded immediate relief for approximately 6.56 lakh farmers who were declared eligible under the 2017 loan waiver scheme but were allegedly denied benefits due to documentation-related issues.

In addition to debt relief measures, Pawar has sought changes to the state's crop insurance programme. He criticised what he described as anti-farmer provisions in the existing scheme and called for the restoration of the earlier Re 1 crop insurance programme.

The MLA also urged the government to restructure farm loan accounts before the commencement of the sowing season and ensure that funds are made available to farmers in time for agricultural operations.

Pawar said the week leading up to the proposed protest offered the government an opportunity to address farmers' concerns and take corrective action. He expressed hope that the administration would review the scheme and announce measures that would provide broader relief to the farming community.

The announcement comes at a time when farmer organisations across Maharashtra have been pressing for stronger support measures amid concerns over rising cultivation costs, debt burdens and uncertain agricultural incomes.