I’m a Farmer, My Loans Have been Waived but Where is the Money?

Kya hua tera vaada, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis? Asks a farmer from Ramtek, Maharashtra.

Rounak Kukde travelled to Ramtek a small village in Nasik district Maharashtra to meet the farmers and to ask them about failed promises given to them by their netas.

(Photo: Kamal Akhter/The Quint)

Video Editor: Varun Sharma
Reporter: Rounak Kukde

With elections just a couple of weeks away, The Quint travelled to Ramtek, a small village in the Nasik district of Maharashtra, to meet the farmers and ask them about their problems and what they thought about the work done by the netas.

In response to that, most farmers posed a question to their elected representatives – kya hua tera vaada?

Ganesh Manghate and his family asked the same question too. Here’s what he said:

I was given the assurance that the government will waive our loan of Rs 75,000. We even filled an online application and our name was on the list.

The list had my name as well. I went to the bank and I asked whether there has been a loan waiver because no money had been deposited in my account. They told me they haven't received money from Nagpur, so how can they waive my loan?

They said they will keep us updated. If the money comes, they will inform us. That's all the bank told me.

In 2015, I took a loan. Due to water scarcity and untimely rain my crops were damaged.

“For five acres of land, I took a total loan of Rs 75,000 – first Rs 55,000 and then Rs 20,000.”

Ganesh Manghate, Farmer

Now, including the dues, the loan is one lakh rupees. The bank asked me to pay the loan. “When the money comes, it would be deposited in your account,” they said.

Despite many trips to the bank there has been no response. I spoke with a lot of people as well. We have our names on the list but there has been no loan waiver.

Others have also spoken (to the bank). The manager asked us to go to the sahayak's office in Parseoni. There, we were told the bank would do it, so now, a back-and-forth is going on.

Kya Hua Tera Vaada

The government told us that our loans have been waived. I would like to ask the government 'Kya hua tera vaada?'

The chief minister announced the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari Sanman Yojana and our names are on the list too, but neither the loan has been waived nor the money deposited.