Over 25,000 NDCC Bank defaulters likely to benefit from farm loan waiver

Nashik: State govt’s decision to expand the scope of the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Shetkari Karjmukti Yojana 2026 is likely to benefit over 25,000 farmers who have defaulted on loans taken from the Nashik District Central Cooperative (NDCC) Bank.According to Santosh Bidwai, administrator of the NDCC, bank authorities are currently calculating the exact number of farmers who will benefit from the loan waiver scheme.“In any case, only those farmers who became defaulters after the 2019 govt loan waiver scheme and before Sept 30, 2025, will benefit from the scheme, and that number is likely to be over 25,000,” Bidwai said, adding that account holders with loans up to Rs2 lakh from the NDCC Bank are expected to benefit.The state cabinet has announced a waiver on crop loans up to Rs2 lakh. “The principal loan and interest up to Rs2 lakh for farmers who meet the criteria are eligible for the waiver,” a bank official explained.“If the outstanding loans are higher than this amount, the farmers will have to clear the sum above the limit to benefit from the waiver,” the official added.Meanwhile, the farming community has been demanding inclusion of those who were left out of the previous two loan waiver schemes due to strict terms and conditions.In 2017, the NDCC had disbursed a record Rs1,750 crore in loans. While many farmers received debt waivers under the subsequently announced Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari Sanman Yojana, several cultivators — including grape and pomegranate growers — remained deprived of benefits due to technical criteria.