Question : Farm Loan Waiver Scheme

(a) the agriculture loan given to the farmers and the amount of loan outstanding against the farmers for the last five years, State/year/bank-wise;

(b) the number of farmers who have committed suicides during the last three years and the current year, year/Statewise;

(c) whether the Union Government has extended loan waiver to farmers in the country and if so, the details thereof along with the amount of loan waiver and the number of farmers benefited therein in the country, State-wise;

(d) the names of States in the country which have announced loan waiver for farmers and whether farmer loans have been completely waived off in those States and if so, the details thereof, State-wise;

(e) whether the State Governments or the Union Government have paid for farmers loan to the banks after waiver off the same and if so, the details thereof along with the role of banks in farm loan waiver for the farmers; and

(f) whether any mechanism has been developed to materialize the said farm loan waiver declarations besides monitoring of the same and if so, the details thereof?

The Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance

(a): State-wise details of agriculture loan outstanding during the last five years as reported by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is at Annexure I.

(b) to (f): The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) under the Ministry of Home Affairs compiles and disseminates information on suicides, in its publication titled ‘Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI). NCRB has provided data relating to suicides for the year 2016 (Provisional) to the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare. As per ADSI Reports for the years 2014, 2015, 2016 (Provisional) the State-wise suicides by farmers and agricultural labourers including those caused due to ‘Bankruptcy or Indebtedness’ is at Annexure II.

As informed by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), since 2014, various State Governments have announced their own schemes, inter alia, for loan waiver of farmers. The Union Government has not issued any directives to State Government in this regard.

No financial assistance for loan waiver has been provided by the Union Government to State in this regard.

The Banks implement the loan waiver schemes as per the operational guidelines issued by the concerned State Government.

As informed by NABARD, details of compensation received by banks from the respective State/UTs after announcement of loan waivers, are not centrally maintained.