Close X
Thursday, October 31, 2024
ADVT 
India

Amarinder Singh Announces Total Waiver On Crop Loans For Small, Marginal Farmers

Darpan News Desk IANS, 19 Jun, 2017 12:12 PM
  • Amarinder Singh Announces Total Waiver On Crop Loans For Small, Marginal Farmers
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday announced total waiver of entire crop loans for small and marginal farmers in Punjab.
 
The loan waiver will for up to Rs 2 lakh for small and marginal farmers (up to 5 acres) and a flat Rs 2 lakh relief for all other marginal farmers, irrespective of their loan amount, thus paving the way for eventual total waiver of agricultural debts to implement another major poll promise of the ruling party.
 
Making the announcements during his speech in the Punjab assembly, the Chief Minister said the move would benefit a total of 10.25 lakh farmers of the state's 18.5 lakh farming families, including 8.75 lakh farmers having land up to 5 acres. 
 
"The initiative would provide double the relief announced by the states of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra," Amarinder pointed out.
 
The decision is based on the interim report of an expert group, headed by eminent economist Dr T. Haque, which was tasked with suggesting ways and means to help the state's distressed farming community.
 
 
Making it clear that his government stood by its commitment to waive off the crop loans of the farmers, Amarinder said his government had also additionally decided to take over the outstanding crop loan from institutional sources of all the families of farmers who committed suicide in the state.
 
It has also decided to raise the ex-gratia for families of farmers committing suicide to Rs 5 lakh from the existing Rs 3 lakh. 
 
For debt relief to farmers for loans raised from non-institutional resources, the government has decided to review the 'Punjab Settlement of Agriculture Indebtedness Act' to provide the desired relief to the farmers through mutually acceptable debt reconciliation and settlement, which shall be statutorily binding on both the parties, the lender and the borrower.
 
"The government has already constituted a Cabinet Sub Committee to review this Act," Amarinder added.
 
The Chief Minister proposed that the Speaker may constitute a 5-member committee of the Vidhan Sabha to visit families of the suicide victims, ascertain the reasons for suicides and suggest further steps to be taken to check the menace.
 
He also told the assembly that his government had already decided to repeal Section 67 A of the Punjab Cooperative Societies Act, 1961, which provides for auction (kurki) of farmers' land.
 
 
Also asserting that his government's is committed to provide free power to farmers, he however, appealed to all big and well-to-do farmers of the state to give up power subsidy voluntarily.
 
Amarinder announced his decision to immediately give up the subsidy at his own farms to set a personal example, and appealed to his colleagues to do the same.

MORE India ARTICLES

Punjab Minister Rana Gurjit Singh's Former Cook Bags Rs. 26 Crore Mining Bid, CM Orders Judicial Inq

Punjab Minister Rana Gurjit Singh's Former Cook Bags Rs. 26 Crore Mining Bid, CM Orders Judicial Inq
The auction of 89 sand mines eventually took place on May 19 and 20. It helped the Punjab mining department generate revenue of nearly 1,000 crores, many of the bids reportedly 20 times higher than previous years

Punjab Minister Rana Gurjit Singh's Former Cook Bags Rs. 26 Crore Mining Bid, CM Orders Judicial Inq

Kerala Congress Youth Activist Butchers Calf In Public To Protest Cattle Slaughter Ban

Kerala Congress Youth Activist Butchers Calf In Public To Protest Cattle Slaughter Ban
Opposition have organised “beef festivals” to protest against the Centre’s recent decision to ban sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter.

Kerala Congress Youth Activist Butchers Calf In Public To Protest Cattle Slaughter Ban

UP Villagers Given Shampoos, Soaps To 'Clean Up' And 'Smell Good' Before CM Yogi Adityanath

UP Villagers Given Shampoos, Soaps To 'Clean Up' And 'Smell Good' Before CM Yogi Adityanath
In a bizarre move, the district administration in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar asked the residents to have a bath before attending a meeting with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath so that they "don’t stink".

UP Villagers Given Shampoos, Soaps To 'Clean Up' And 'Smell Good' Before CM Yogi Adityanath

Burhan Wani's Successor Sabzar Bhat Among 9 Terrorists Killed In Jammu And Kashmir

Burhan Wani's Successor Sabzar Bhat Among 9 Terrorists Killed In Jammu And Kashmir
Hizbul Mujahideen's Sabzar Ahmad Bhat was among two terrorists who were killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Tral. Six others were killed in Rampur sector while trying to infiltrate into India from across the LoC.

Burhan Wani's Successor Sabzar Bhat Among 9 Terrorists Killed In Jammu And Kashmir

Nitish Kumar Says No To Sonia Gandhi, But Will Lunch With PM Modi

Nitish Kumar Says No To Sonia Gandhi, But Will Lunch With PM Modi
BJP leader Shaina NC said there could be any kind of talk, either developmental or a generic one, but one does not need to speculate on it.

Nitish Kumar Says No To Sonia Gandhi, But Will Lunch With PM Modi

PM Narendra Modi Pays Tributes To Jawaharlal Nehru On His 53rd Death Anniversary

PM Narendra Modi Pays Tributes To Jawaharlal Nehru On His 53rd Death Anniversary
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid his tributes to former prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on his 53rd death anniversary.

PM Narendra Modi Pays Tributes To Jawaharlal Nehru On His 53rd Death Anniversary