The data collected by the state information and technology (IT) department has revealed that the final figure ... Read More

MUMBAI: Over 2.4 lakh farmers, who have not mentioned their Aadhaar detailing while applying for the loan waiver scheme, may not receive the benefits. The data collected by the state information and technology (IT) department has revealed that the final figure of farmers who have registered across the state for the scheme is 56.59 lakh. As many as 25,335 cultivators living in Mumbai have applied for the loan amnesty scheme. “Among the applicants from Mumbai, 338 have not quoted their Aadhaar card. The corresponding number across Maharashtra is 2.4 lakh,” said an official.

“Those who have applied from Mumbai may be natives of Konkan where they own their agricultural plots. Their Aadhaar cards could have been registered on the Mumbai address,” said an official. The data was compiled on September 22 after the deadline for applying for the loan waiver scheme ended, .

“We have received applications and the documents will undergo scrutiny. Applications that do not fit the bill will be excluded. However, we will give more time to those who have not submitted their Aadhaar details. Those who have awaiting their Aadhaar number will be considered for the loan waiver,” said V K Gautam, principal secretary of the IT department.

Farmers’ leaders are not happy with the Aadhaar criterion for the scheme. “If a poor farmer doesn’t have an Aadhaar card, it is not his fault. The government should reach out to such cultivators and provide them with the card,” said Raghunathdada Patil of Shetkari Sanghatna. Cooperation minister Subhash Deshmukh was unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts. Another farmers’ leader Dhananjay Dhorde-Patil from Aurangabad also expressed concerns over the mandatory Aadhaar clause. “If a farmer doesn’t have an Aadhaar, there must be some technical problem. It does not mean that he intends to cheat the government,” said Dhorde-Patil.

