Jaipur, March 24 -- The Centre is not considering any proposal for a complete farm loan waiver, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in the Lok Sabha in a written response on Monday. The Centre's response came amid the outstanding agricultural debt in Rajasthan which continues to mount, touching nearly Rs.2 lakh crore. In response to a question by Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal, Sitharaman said that while farm loans have increased significantly across the country, there is no proposal under consideration for a blanket waiver. "No proposal related to formulation of scheme for complete loan waiver of farmers is under consideration with the Union government. However, Government has taken several measures to strengthen the economic conditions of the farmers," the Union minister said. Data compiled by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) shows that the total outstanding agricultural loans in Rajasthan stood at Rs.1,92,293 crore as of December 31, 2025 (provisional). A detailed breakup of the outstanding farm loans in Rajasthan shows that the bulk of the credit has been extended by scheduled commercial banks, accounting for Rs.1,44,192 crore, followed by Rs.30,069 crore from regional rural banks and Rs.18,032 crore from cooperative banks -- highlighting the dominant role of commercial banks in agricultural financing in the state. The data further indicates a steady rise in agricultural credit disbursement in Rajasthan over the past three financial years, increasing from Rs.1,41,612 crore in 2022-23 to Rs.1,53,593 crore in 2023-24 and reaching Rs.1,68,545 crore in 2024-25 -- reflecting a growing flow of institutional finance into the farm sector. This marks a significant increase of over Rs.26,000 crore in just two years. At the national level, agricultural credit has grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 15% during this period. Despite the rising debt burden and periodic demands for loan waivers from farmer groups and political leaders, the Centre has reiterated its stance against blanket waivers. Instead, the Union government has underscored a series of ongoing measures to strengthen farmers' financial conditions, including concessional crop loans of up to Rs.3 lakh under the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme with incentives for timely repayment, interest subvention on short-term crop loans under the Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS), enhancement of collateral-free agricultural loan limits from Rs.1.6 lakh to Rs.2 lakh, and ensuring adequate credit flow to the sector through Priority Sector Lending norms. In addition, income and risk support is being provided through schemes such as PM-KISAN for direct income transfers and crop insurance coverage under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). Commenting on the issue, Rampal Jat, president of Kissan Mahapanchayat, said farmer bodies have repeatedly urged the Centre to hold direct talks with cultivators to resolve the crisis. He asserted that farmers are willing to repay loans if they are debtors, but if dues are pending from the government, then farmers should be treated as creditors. He alleged that payments to farmers are still pending under the MSP, arguing that if outstanding dues are calculated, it is the government that owes farmers. "In that case, there is no need for a loan waiver. The government must look at the issue in a fair and just manner," he said, claiming that nearly Rs.110 lakh crore is pending with the government towards farmers' dues from 2022 to 2025....