In another major relief measure to farmers after announcing a farm loan waiver, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday announced that it would waive around Rs 48,000 crore in pending electricity dues of agricultural consumers.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the decision would permanently clear all old arrears of farm power connections with pump sets of up to 7.5 horsepower, giving farmers a fresh start without the burden of past dues. Fadnavis made the announcement at a felicitation programme organised by the BJP at the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre, Nariman Point, to honour his leadership and recent policy initiatives.