In a populist decision ahead of the general elections, the Punjab Cabinet on Saturday gave in-principle approval to a debt relief scheme for farm labourers and landless farming members of PACS, to provide a major relief to 2.85 lakh people, of which around 70 per cent are Dalits.
The scheme will benefit the farm labourers and landless farmers of PACS to the tune of Rs. 520.55 crores. The waiver includes principal amount of Rs.388.55 crore and Rs.78 crores as interest, the Cabinet led by chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh decided.
Capt Amarinder Singh government, in the recent Budget Session of Vidhan Sabha, had announced a budgetary allocation to implement this scheme. The Chief Minister himself had given an assurance earlier that as the state's financial condition improves, he will bring landless farmers and farm labourers into the ambit of the debt relief scheme.
According to an official spokesperson, beneficiaries would be Individual farm labourers and landless farming members of Primary Cooperative Agriculture Service Societies (PACS). Members of only those PACS would be eligible for debt relief who have been availing advancement from DCCBs. The amount eligible for debt relief shall comprise the outstanding principal amount up to a limit of Rs.25000 as on March 31, 2017 and simple interest @ 7% per annum.
The debt relief shall not be available to those members who are either employees / pensioners of Govt./Semi Govt./Public Sector Undertaking of any State / Central Govt. and or income tax payee.
If an individual has more than one account , the relief would be given for one account only, which has higher outstanding amount subject to the maximum of Rs. 25000 as principal. The accounts of the beneficiaries would be Aadhar -seeded to avoid duplication.
The move comes as an extension of the Debt Relief Scheme of October 2017 for small and marginal farmers with loans up to Rs. 2 lakhs. Under the scheme, till date, the government has waived off loans of Rs. 5.47 lakhs small and marginal farmers to the extent of approximately Rs.4600 crores.
CABINET GIVES NOD TO UPGRADE BATALA, KAPURTHALA AND ABOHAR AS MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS
To mark the commemoration of the 550th Parkash Purb of Guru Nanak Dev, the Punjab Cabinet has approved upgradation of the historic towns of Batala, Kapurthala and Abohar as Municipal Corporations, thus fulfilling a long-pending demand of the residents of these border areas.
The move is aimed at sprucing up the existing infrastructure in the historic towns of Batala and Kapurthala as part of the 550th Parkash Purb of the first Sikh Guru and strengthening the urban infrastructure in Abohar.
The decision would go a long way in ensuring the holistic development of these towns with best civic amenities, road connectivity and city transport services to the residents, thereby improving their quality of life. With the upgradation of three towns as Municipal Corporation, the Government would ensure proper devolution of funds to various departments and agencies for the overall development of these towns.
With this, the number of existing 10 Municipal Corporations across the state has now gone up to 13.