PUNE, July 29 -- The Maharashtra government has released the first list of beneficiaries under the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Shetkari Samman Yojana, covering 1.7 million farmers who will receive a cumulative loan waiver of Rs.13,600 crore, state cooperative commissioner Deepak Taware said on Tuesday. Addressing reporters, Taware said the first beneficiary list was published on July 25 and urged farmers whose names feature in it to complete Aadhaar authentication to enable the direct transfer of the benefit to their bank accounts. "The scheme is implemented through a portal developed by MahaIT. Details of eligible borrowers from all banks have been uploaded and verified by the cooperation department," he said. Announced by the state government on June 2, the scheme comprises three components - loan waiver, one-time settlement and incentive. It provides a waiver of crop loans of up to Rs.2 lakh. Taware said beneficiaries should visit their nearest Seva Kendra with their Aadhaar card or the unique number mentioned in the beneficiary list to complete Aadhaar authentication. "So far, 3.96 lakh beneficiaries have successfully completed Aadhaar authentication," he said, adding that farmers who do not have an AgriStack Farmer ID must first generate one before completing the loan waiver process. Farmers have also been advised to verify their outstanding loan amount as of March 31, 2026, with their bank branch or at a Seva Kendra before proceeding with Aadhaar authentication. "The interest accrued after March 31, 2026, will be borne by the banks. Therefore, the farmers' entire eligible loan will be waived," Taware said. He urged farmers facing issues such as incorrect names, Aadhaar numbers or bank account details to register their grievances through the scheme portal. Such complaints will be forwarded to the district collector and examined by a district-level committee, which will issue a written response after verification, he said. Meanwhile, agriculture minister Dattatray Bharne said that farmers with eligible crop loans of up to Rs.2 lakh would not have to pay any amount to banks to avail themselves of the waiver. "I have been informed that some farmers from the Marathwada region have reported discrepancies in the first beneficiary list, leading to confusion. The government is aware of these issues, and the errors will be rectified at the earliest," Bharne said. Meanwhile, farmers from parts of Dharashiv and Hingoli districts have alleged discrepancies between the loan waiver amounts reflected in the beneficiary lists, the e-KYC portal and bank records, leaving them uncertain about the actual relief they will receive....