Close X
Friday, November 1, 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

Justice Karnan 'Sentences' Chief Justice of India JS Khehar, 7 Other SC Judges To 5-Year Jail

Justice Karnan 'Sentences' Chief Justice of India JS Khehar,  7 Other SC Judges To 5-Year Jail
Calcutta High Court judge CS Karnan, who is facing contempt charges, on Monday "sentenced" Chief Justice of India JS Khehar and seven other judges of the Supreme Court to five-year jail.

Justice Karnan 'Sentences' Chief Justice of India JS Khehar, 7 Other SC Judges To 5-Year Jail

Truth Will Triumph, Says Arvind Kejriwal As AAP Suspends Kapil Mishra

Truth Will Triumph, Says Arvind Kejriwal As AAP Suspends Kapil Mishra
  The party trashed the sacked minister's allegations and its Political Affairs Committee (PAC) met in the evening and took the decision to suspend Mishra who was sacked as Minister on Saturday.

Truth Will Triumph, Says Arvind Kejriwal As AAP Suspends Kapil Mishra

AAAP Names Bhagwant Mann As Punjab President; Sukhpal Singh Khaira Quits Posts

AAAP Names Bhagwant Mann As Punjab President; Sukhpal Singh Khaira Quits Posts
The Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) on Monday announced Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann would be its new Punjab unit president and AAP legislator and millionaire businessman Aman Arora the co-president.

AAAP Names Bhagwant Mann As Punjab President; Sukhpal Singh Khaira Quits Posts

Himachal IAS-IPS Couple Adopts Daughter Of Armyman Paramjit Singh Killed In Kashmir

Himachal IAS-IPS Couple Adopts Daughter Of Armyman Paramjit Singh Killed In Kashmir
Naib Subedar Paramjit Singh of the Army's 22 Sikh infantry was killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Tuesday.

Himachal IAS-IPS Couple Adopts Daughter Of Armyman Paramjit Singh Killed In Kashmir

Indigo Plane Hits Aerobridge At Jaipur Airport, All 174 Passengers Safe

Indigo Plane Hits Aerobridge At Jaipur Airport, All 174 Passengers Safe
An IndiGo aircraft suffered damage to one of its wings when it hit an aerobridge while being marshalled to the parking spot at Sanganer airport here.

Indigo Plane Hits Aerobridge At Jaipur Airport, All 174 Passengers Safe

New Video In Kashmir Shows Hizbul Mujahideen Militants Torturing Two Youth

New Video In Kashmir Shows Hizbul Mujahideen Militants Torturing Two Youth
This video grab from an undated video clip shows a militant forcibly cutting a man’s hair. The video shows militants ‘torturing’ two men after accusing them of being police informers. 

New Video In Kashmir Shows Hizbul Mujahideen Militants Torturing Two Youth