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Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Outstanding agri loans cross Rs 28 lakh crore, Centre says no waiver plan
The Centre has informed that agricultural loans worth over ₹28.5 lakh crore are outstanding — but ruled out any plans for a waiver. Responding to Parliamentary questions by Lok Sabha MPs Supriya Sule (Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar, Maharashtra), Hanuman Beniwal (Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, Rajasthan) and others, the Ministry of Finance informed Monday that outstanding agricultural loans stood at Rs 28,50,779.43 crore as of March 31, 2025. These are due from 1,762.96 lakh accounts. 'No proposal to waive off the outstanding agricultural loans, is under consideration with Union Government,' the government said. However, it added that several measures have been taken 'to provide relief and to improve the economic conditions of the farmers which inter-alia includes timely and adequate credit through Kisan Credit Card (KCC) under which crop loan up to Rs 3 lakh is provided at subsidized interest rates under the Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS) with additional incentives for timely repayment, fixation of progressively increased agricultural credit target, issuance of revised Priority Sector Lending guidelines to ensure improved credit flow to the agricultural sector etc.' The top five states in terms of outstanding agricultural loans are Tamil Nadu: Rs 4,03,367 crore; Andhra Pradesh: Rs 3,08,716 crore; Maharashtra: Rs 2,60,799 crore; Uttar Pradesh: Rs 2,28,560 crore; Karnataka: Rs 2,22,301 crore. Other states with dues in excess of Rs 1 lakh crore are Rajasthan: Rs 1,87,322 crore; Madhya Pradesh: Rs 1,62,385 crore; Kerala: Rs 1,52,198 crore; Telangana: Rs 1,44,346 crore; Gujarat: Rs 1,44,330 crore; Punjab: Rs 1,04,353 crore. Apart from Sule and Beniwal, the questions were put up by NCP-SP MPs from Maharashtra: Bhaskar Murlidhar Bhagare, Nilesh Dnyandev Lanke, Mohite Patil Dhairyasheel Rajsinh, Dr Amol Ramsing Kolhe, and Bajrang Manohar Sonwane, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackrey) MP from Maharashtra Sanjay Dina Patil, and Congress MP, Prof Varsha Eknath Gaikwad, also from Maharashtra. The MPs had also asked 'whether there is any correlation found between outstanding agricultural loans and incidence of farmer suicides in states like Maharashtra and if so, the data available with the Government on such cases during the last five years.' The government said that the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) publication 'Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India' is available till the year 2022 but that it does not specify separate reasons for farmer suicides. The MPs had also asked 'whether any specific categories of farmers marginal, small, tenant, SC/ST are more burdened with outstanding loans and if so, the details thereof' to which the government said that 'NABARD All India Rural Financial Inclusion Survey (NAFIS) for the period of 2021-2022 indicates a generally positive relationship between landholding size and household indebtedness, with the proportion of indebted households increasing as land size increases, up to 1 hectare. Beyond this threshold, a marginal decline in the incidence of indebtedness is observed among households with larger landholdings.' Beniwal said, 'The BJP government, which falsely claims to protect farmers' interests, has once again refused in the Lok Sabha to waive the outstanding agricultural loans of farmers in Rajasthan and other states across the country.' 'The continuous increase in farmers' loans exposes the falsehood of all those claims by the government about the upliftment and welfare of farmers. The details of outstanding agricultural loans in different states of the country reveal a grim situation. Today, the government is saying that it is trying to provide relief to farmers by issuing KCC. Is merely providing loans equivalent to giving relief to farmers?' he said, asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 'to formulate a scheme to completely waive the agricultural loans of farmers in Rajasthan and across the country to strengthen the economic condition of the nation's farmers.' Sule and some other Maha Vikas Aghadi MPs also met Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday where they apprised him of various issues and also complained about Maharashtra Agriculture minister Manikrao Kokate, recently caught playing rummy in the Assembly, over his 'anti-farmer' stance and demanded his resignation and appointment of a 'sensitive Agriculture Minister who understands the issues of farmers.'
The Hindu
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Manikrao Kokate denies playing rummy during Assembly, calls controversy politically motivated
Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate on Tuesday (July 22, 2025) firmly denied allegations that he was playing online rummy on his mobile phone during the ongoing Monsoon Session of the State Legislature, calling the controversy a politically motivated attempt to malign his image. He also rejected the Opposition's demands for his resignation and said the issue had been unnecessarily sensationalised. Speaking to journalists at a press conference in Nashik, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader warned of legal action against opposition MLAs who circulated the video clip that triggered the political storm. 'I will take legal steps against those who tried to defame me by sharing edited footage,' he said. The controversy stirred on Sunday (July 20, 2025) after NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar posted a video clip on social media claiming that Mr. Kokate was playing rummy during House proceedings. A day later, MLA Jitendra Awhad posted two more videos, alleging that Mr. Kokate was using the Junglee Rummy mobile application in the Assembly. Mr. Kokate, however, dismissed the allegations as baseless. 'I don't even know how to play online rummy. These games require OTPs and linked bank accounts to be able to play the game. My phone is not associated with any such app, one can come and check if my mobile phone is linked to any such gaming apps. This gaming advertisement had briefly popped up on my phone screen for 10 to 15 seconds and I was trying to close it,' he said in the press conference. On Opposition's demands for his resignation, the Minister lashed out and said, 'Tell me what is my crime? Did I make a decision against farmers? Did I indulge in corruption or commit any criminal acts? Have I molested someone? Have I stolen something? Do I have a criminal background? Tell me the valid reason for which I should resign and why. I will sue the Opposition leaders who tried to defame my image by circulating only a few seconds portions of that video. Why not show the complete video, a completely unedited one where I can be seen that I am trying to skip that advertisement. If they did that, it would have cleared all the allegations. It is a shame that a small matter is stretched this far unnecessarily.' He also said he would write to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, and the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, requesting them for an impartial inquiry into the matter. 'If the allegations are proven true, I will resign immediately. I will tender my resignation to the Governor without waiting to meet the CM or Deputy CM. But I am not resigning without a thorough probe into the matter,' Mr. Kokate said.
Mint
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
Maharashtra govt is ‘beggar': Minister Manikrao Kokate adds fuel to fire after ‘rummy' video row; Fadnavis reacts
Maharashtra minister Manikrao Kokate, who was 'caught playing rummy' on his phone inside the Assembly, has added fuel to the fire as he termed the government a 'beggar' while trying to clarify an earlier 'beggar' comment on farmers. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reacted to the controversy, saying it was 'inappropriate' for ministers to speak in such a manner, while asserting Maharashtra's economy was in good shape despite challenges. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Agriculture minister Manikrao Kokate had allegedly compared farmers to beggars, inviting severe criticism. 'Even a beggar does not take Re 1 in alms, but here we are giving crop insurance for Re 1. Even then, some people try to misuse it,' he had said. When asked about the remark, Manikrao Kokate compared the Maharashtrian government to 'beggar'. He said, 'The government doesn't give Re 1 to farmers, it takes Re 1 from them. The government is a beggar,' PTI quoted him as saying. He also said that 5 lakh to 5.3 lakh bogus applications for the Re 1 crop insurance scheme had been received and he rejected them and implemented several corrective steps. The Re 1 crop insurance scheme, launched two years ago, was scrapped a few months back and replaced with the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme. He also reacted to the alleged video of him playing rummy and warned of legal action against politicians who "defamed" him by sharing his video. 'I don't know how to play online rummy. One needs an OTP, and a bank account needs to be linked to play the game. One can check if my mobile phone is linked to any such game. I was trying to skip a game which popped up on my screen for 10 to 15 seconds,' he said. When asked about the 'beggar' statement by the Maharashtra government, Devendra Fadnavis said, 'If he has made such a comment, it is inappropriate for ministers to speak in this manner. We have taken corrective measures in the crop insurance scheme as we saw insurance companies benefitting and not farmers.' 'We have taken steps to make an investment of ₹ 5,000 crore every year in the agriculture sector. Maharashtra's economy is good despite challenges,' the chief minister told reporters in Gadchiroli. NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule in a post on X said calling the state "beggar" was insensitive and 'insult' to all the work the state government has done over the years. 'It is an insult to the hard work of all the chief ministers of the state so far and the people of the state. We will never tolerate this insult,' she said.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
SC rejects PIL against political parties using national tricolour in their flags
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to examine a PIL seeking action against political parties for allegedly using flags with the tricolour along with party symbols. A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria declined to hear the petition filed by one Sanjay Bhimashankar Thobde, who appeared in person. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Science Healthcare Digital Marketing others healthcare Data Science Finance Data Analytics Cybersecurity Product Management MBA Public Policy Leadership Others Design Thinking Artificial Intelligence Project Management PGDM CXO Technology Management Degree Skills you'll gain: Data Analysis & Interpretation Programming Proficiency Problem-Solving Skills Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence Duration: 24 Months Vellore Institute of Technology VIT MSc in Data Science Starts on Aug 14, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Strategic Data-Analysis, including Data Mining & Preparation Predictive Modeling & Advanced Clustering Techniques Machine Learning Concepts & Regression Analysis Cutting-edge applications of AI, like NLP & Generative AI Duration: 8 Months IIM Kozhikode Professional Certificate in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Starts on Jun 26, 2024 Get Details The plea said certain political parties have been using flag designs closely resembling the national tricolour in their political campaigns, often replacing the Ashoka Chakra with party symbols. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 15 Most Beautiful Female Athletes in the World Click Here It also specifically named Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), and the Nationalist Congress Party. The plea said this amounted to a violation of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act , 1971. Live Events "Since when are they doing it? Some parties have been doing it since independence," the bench said and rejected the plea.
News18
a day ago
- Politics
- News18
SC rejects PIL against political parties using national tricolour in their flags
Agency: PTI Last Updated: New Delhi, Jul 22 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Monday refused to examine a PIL seeking action against political parties for allegedly using flags with the tricolour along with party symbols. A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria declined to hear the petition filed by one Sanjay Bhimashankar Thobde, who appeared in person. The plea said certain political parties have been using flag designs closely resembling the national tricolour in their political campaigns, often replacing the Ashoka Chakra with party symbols. It also specifically named Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), and the Nationalist Congress Party. The plea said this amounted to a violation of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971. 'Since when are they doing it? Some parties have been doing it since independence," the bench said and rejected the plea. PTI SJK SJK AMK AMK Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
