After Farm Loan Waiver, Fadnavis Announces Rs 48,000cr Waiver of Farmers’ Pending Power Bills
Mumbai, 16th July 2026: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday announced that the state government will waive Rs 48,000 crore in outstanding electricity dues of farmers to enable them to obtain new agricultural power connections.
Fadnavis said that while the government has already waived electricity bills for agricultural pump sets up to 7.5 horsepower, many farmers continue to face difficulties in securing fresh power connections because old arrears remain in their names. To address this, the government has decided to write off the pending dues.
The announcement was made at a felicitation programme organised by farmers at Yashwantrao Chavan Centre to honour Fadnavis for the state’s newly announced farm loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh.
Highlighting the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Shetkari Karjmukti Yojana, Fadnavis said the scheme would benefit 56 lakh farmers with loan relief worth Rs 36,585 crore. He said farmers who had earlier received a Rs 50,000 incentive under the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule loan waiver scheme would now also be eligible for loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh, as the earlier cap had been removed. The government has also scrapped the condition requiring regular loan repayment during 2026-27 to avail benefits.
The chief minister said the state was making large-scale investments to ensure sustainable agriculture, including irrigation projects, water conservation, cold storage, value addition, food processing and market linkages. Subsidies are also being provided for quality seeds, modern farming technologies, drip and sprinkler irrigation systems, and digital platforms connecting farmers directly to markets.
Fadnavis said the government aims to increase farm productivity and profitability by promoting new technologies through partnerships between agricultural universities, cooperative institutions and the private sector. He added that the Centre and the state together are investing Rs 95,000 crore in the agriculture sector this year through various schemes.
He also stressed the need to reduce cultivation costs by adopting advanced technologies such as Israeli fertigation systems, fully automated drip irrigation and artificial intelligence. The chief minister urged farmers to embrace natural farming practices, including the use of Jeevamrut, to improve soil fertility while reducing dependence on chemical fertilisers.
Fadnavis said the government was also focusing on long-term water security through river-linking projects and plans to divert excess floodwaters from the Satara-Sangli region to drought-prone Marathwada. He expressed confidence that with proper planning and sustained investment, Maharashtra could become drought-free in the coming years.
Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane said the state had expanded the allocation under the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar loan waiver scheme from Rs 36,585 crore to Rs 40,585 crore, benefiting more than 56 lakh farmers. He said the government had also extended financial assistance through schemes such as the Dr Punjabrao Deshmukh Crop Loan Scheme, Chief Minister Baliraja Free Electricity Scheme, PM-Kisan and Namo Shetkari Yojana, besides introducing initiatives for women farmers, AI-based agriculture and rural infrastructure.
