In a major relief measure for distressed farmers, the Maharashtra Cabinet has approved the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Farmer Loan Waiver Scheme, 2026, providing loan waiver benefits of up to Rs 2 lakh to eligible farmers whose crop loans remained overdue as on September 30, 2025 and unpaid up to March 31, 2026.
The scheme also provides incentive benefits of up to Rs 50,000 for eligible farmers who have regularly repaid their crop loans.
The scheme places Maharashtra’s cooperative credit structure at the centre of implementation.
According to the Government Resolution issued on Tuesday, loans availed from District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) and crop loans extended by Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) from their own funds will be eligible under the scheme, alongside loans from nationalised, private and regional rural banks.
Eligible short-term crop loans disbursed between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2025, including certain restructured crop loans, have been brought within the ambit of the scheme.
Farmers who had earlier received benefits under the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Farmer Loan Waiver Scheme, 2019, will be eligible for relief up to Rs 50,000, subject to the prescribed conditions.
The government has also announced a One-Time Settlement (OTS) mechanism for eligible borrowers whose outstanding dues exceed the waiver limits.
In a significant institutional reform, Maharashtra has proposed the creation of a ‘Sahakar Stack’ (Co-operative Stack) under the Commissioner for Cooperation and Registrar of Cooperative Societies.
The digital platform is intended to serve as a cooperative-sector agricultural credit database, facilitate integration with other systems and strengthen future credit delivery mechanisms.
The scheme will be implemented entirely through an online platform under the Cooperation Department, with the Commissioner for Cooperation and Registrar of Cooperative Societies serving as the nodal authority.
