Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh is all set to trim the misgivings about the State Government’s farm debt waiver on Thursday.
After announcing the much-awaited debt relief to the State farming community past week, the Chief Minister would meet all the farmer organisations of the State to elucidate the same. Farm loan waiver —karja, kurki khatam — is the major pre-poll promise of the Congress party.
Punjab Government had recently passed the Bill to do away with the kurki (mortgage of farmers’ land). Moreover, Punjab Congress has become the first Congress-ruled State in the country to announce the loan waiver for the “debt-ridden” farming community of the state.
“There are lot of misconceptions, and doubts regarding the State Government’s farm loan waiver. We just wanted to clarify that and explain what it is all about. Thus, Chief Minister has invited all the farmers’ organisations of the State,” a senior Government official told The Pioneer.
It has been learnt that the Chief Minister will give a presentation to the farm outfits regarding the State Government’s waiver, and answer their queries.
“Farmers’ welfare is the main focus area for the State Government, and it is a step in that direction,” the official added.
Capt Amarinder, during the recently-concluded budget session, had announced Rs 9,500-crore crop loan waiver for 10.25-lakh small and marginal farmers in the State. He had announced that the Government would waive up to Rs 2-lakh crop loan of 10.25 lakh farmers who own up to five acres.
Finance Minister Manpreet Badal, presenting the Congress Government’s maiden budget, also made provision of Rs 1,500 crore for the debt waiver, against the promise of “complete loan waiver”.
The State Government has all along been maintaining that Rs 1,500 crore budget provision was the first instalment towards the gigantic debt amount, and Rs 9,500 crore would be spent towards the same in total five years.
It was clarified that the Government would take over the farmers’ loan while giving the guarantee, and repay to banks on farmers’ behalf. “The farmers will be free of all debt the day the Government will issue the notification, and they it will be between us and the banks,” Capt Amarinder had clarified.
The notification is expected sometime in September or October. Besides, the expert commission, set up under T Haque, is also expected to submit its complete report by then.
In the Government’s loan waiver, no mention was made about the 15 lakh landless farm labourers, who by an estimate of the agriculture directorate, owe an average loan of Rs 68,000.
Besides, the waiver proposal was also silent about Rs 15,000 crore to Rs 25,000 crore debt the farmers owe to thearhtiyas (commission agents). The Congress had promised to waive of entire loan taken by both nationalised and cooperative banks, besides that of the arhtiyas.
As per the figures provided by Finance Minister, the farm debt figure stood at Rs 90,000 crore till March 2016 covering almost all 18-lakh farmers of the State. Mall farmers, having the land holdings between 2.5 to five acres, are the most burdened.
“Rs 1,500 budget provision is a small but a good step forward in the right direction. The Government has shown its commitment to work for the farming community in just first three months, and we hope that in its remaining term, it would take more good decision for the community,” said Bhartiya Kisan Union (Mann) national president Bhupinder Singh Mann.
Mann, a former MP who has also been invited for the meeting, said that they also have some points of concern that they are going to discuss with the Chief Minister.
Punjab Congress president Sunil Kumar Jakhar is also scheduled to attend the meeting.