Patting own back on the “successful” completion of 100 days of governance, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday announced farmer and State friendly measures including paying outstanding loans of around 7,000 farmers who committed suicide, setting up regulatory authority for private colleges and universities too, organising “mega” job fair, bringing Chief Minister’s post under the ambit of lokpal, among other things.
Capt Amarinder, addressing his first official Press conference after forming the Government, clarified that the loan waiver, announced by his Government, would cover “only the crop loans”, and not the ones taken for the purposes other than cultivation like constructing houses, marriages etc.
The Punjab Government, in its recently-concluded budget session, set aside Rs 1,500 crore as first instalment for the debt waiver, out of the total Rs 9,500 crore agriculture loan.
Waiving farmers’ debt was our one of the major promise, and the Government has fulfilled it with which 10.25 lakh farmers would get loan waiver for up to Rs 2 lakhs, he said.
He said the total outstanding loan of farmers with banks was over Rs 59,620 crore in over 20 lakh loan accounts. “We have made a provision of Rs 1,500 crore in the budget this year. We have told the farmers that they need not bother about the loans. We will take care of them. It will be between the (State) Government and the banks,” he clarified.
Expressing concern over farmers continuing committing suicide even after announcement of the loan waiver, Capt Amarinder announced that the Government would bear the liability of the outstanding loans of over 7,000 farmers who have committed suicide in recent years, including during the term of previous SAD-BJP Government.
In past three months of the Congress rule, 77 farmers had committed suicide.
Capt Amarinder maintained he had written to the Union Finance Minister to help the State in waiving off farmers’ debt but the Centre had refused saying that it was “not in position to assist”. He said the State was mobilising its own resources.
Regulatory authority for private institutions
To keep a check on the private educational institutions across the State, Capt Amarinder Singh announced to set up a regulatory authority not only for the private colleges, but also for the private universities which has witnessed a spate in the recent years. “The authority would keep a check on the fees, curriculum, staff, facilities these private institutions are providing,” he said.
Raining jobs
Maintaining that the Congress Government’s promise of providing jobs will start realising from August, Capt Amarinder announced that a massive job fair would be organised at Khooni Majra in Mohali where around 50,000 youngsters would participate. Besides, he said the Government had already approved a Skill University at Chamkaur Sahib. Among major announcements to boost employment opportunities for the State’s unemployed youth, Capt Amarinder announced the Quark City, housing 53 leading global companies such as IBM, Infosys, Emerson Electric, FIS, Evry etc, is expected to generate another 6,000 jobs in the next five years.
Besides, Capt Amarinder mentioned that the Government intended to generate about one lakh jobs through its schemes - Yaari Enterprises, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Employment Generation scheme, Apni Gaddi Apna Rozgaar, other than Harra Tractor Scheme wherein 25,000 tractors would be given to youth.
Reviving Industry
Claiming that as many as 29693 industrial units have been closed down in past 10-year rule of the SAD-BJP Government, Capt Amarinder on Tuesday hoped for revival of industry in Punjab. “I am going to re-open a unit in Mandi Gobindgarh...It will be the beginning of the revival of steel in Punjab...I hope one by one, we could refurbish these all units,” said Capt Amarinder.
He said they had decided to fix the tariff at Rs 5 per unit for the industry, besides 16 new industrial parks and a hi-tech cycle valley in ludhiana will be set up.
“We are in talks with many industrial houses, and 24 companies have already come up…Mahindra and a Chinese firm will soon be sending their electric cars,” he said.
Surrender or face action: Capt to gangsters
Issuing a stern warning to 49 organised criminal gangs operating in Punjab, Capt Amarinder has asked them to surrender before the police or get ready to face the consequences.
“I cannot allow you to function like that…I know how to deal with them. I have full clearance to the police to take any action against these criminals and gangsters,” said Capt Amarinder.
DGP Suresh Arora informed that in all, 49 organised criminal gangs were operating in Punjab having 240 members. “These gangs have been categorised into two groups. So far, police has arrested 137 gangsters and neutralised three out of 12 from category A, seven out of 12 in Category B,” he said.
The Chief Minister also added that the Government was also working on a fool-proof PCCOCA law that would be insulated from abuse of any kind.
Major increase in revenue generation
Capt Amarinder declared that a significant increase in revenues in the first three months of this fiscal over the previous year was recorded.
Giving details of the State’s financial health, he said while VAT revenue had gone up 33 per cent to Rs 6,012.96 core from April 1 to June 30, 2017, from Rs 4,568 crore in the same period last year, transport fees or taxes had led to the collection of 25 percent higher revenue.
“The Government has successfully conducted excise auctions for 2017-18 and realised Rs 1,016 crore (23.1 per cent) more than the previous year 2016-17,” he added.
Talking about the fiscal legacy inherited by his Government, the Chief Minister said the unpaid liabilities amounted to Rs 13,039 crore, while debt had gone up from Rs 51,155 crore in 2007 to Rs 1,82,183 crore in 2017.
“We are paying Rs 14,910 crore as interest while our borrowing limit is Rs 12,819 crores...we are trying to generate revenue,” he said.
Fully support GST
Reiterating his “full” support for the GST, Capt Amarinder said it would be highly beneficial for Punjab. “It is a progressive tax...the Congress, as a party, is opposing it only on account of the multiple tax brackets contained in it,” he added.