Adopting a tough stance against the loan defaulters of the State cooperative banks, the cash-starved Punjab Government has decided to initiate recovery process and take strong action against them — most of whom are the political people.
The orders were issued by the state Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa on Wednesday, who also asked the officers concerned to get the cases registered against the defaulters, if required.
Randhawa has met the higher officials of the Co-operation Department besides the heads of the state co-operative institutions on Wednesday in a high level meeting — first after taking over the charge of his department over 10-day back.
He maintained that out of the total 3543 co-operative societies across the state, 1550 are running into losses while 1993 are in profits. He pointed that the state government Randhawa said that Punjab Government has about Rs 300 crores pending as loan issued by using faulty and inappropriate procedures.
Randhawa insisted that the Department would initiate recovery to strengthen the co-operative banks. “Among the loan defaulters are also the big farmers against whom Rs 276 crore loan amount is pending,” he said.
“In the first phase, a list has been drawn up comprising big time defaulters who are mostly the big farmers and haven't repaid even a single loan installment,” he added.
Randhawa elaborated, “Every month, action would be initiated against 20 big farmers from the list. Among the 20 farmers, included this time, have loan amounting to Rs 10-12 crore pending against them. These big farmers have all the means to repay their loans, but they have not paid even a single penny and many of them have availed loans in the names of their different family members.”
The first name in the list is of senior SAD leader Dyal Singh Kolianwali of Muktsar district, who has a loan amount of Rs one crore pending against him. Kolianwali is considered close to the Badal family.
NO NEED FOR JAMABANDIS IF FARMER’S RECORD UPlOADED ON PORTAl
In another major decision, Randhawa announced that no farmer would have to face harrowing time over getting jamabandis for availing maximum credit limit (MCl).
Giving a major relief to the farmers approaching fard kendars for getting the jamabandis to avail MCl, Randhawa said that the farmers won't need new jamabandis, who have already been verified by the patwaris or whose land record is uploaded on the portal.
“I have directed the Chief Secretary to issue instructions in this regard that if any farmer needs jamabandi, the same should be made available to him immediately so as to ensure that they don't face harassment,” he said adding that the land ownership report of the farmers already available with the district co-operative banks can be termed as the base in this regard.
Randhawa added that the need for new jamabandi would arise only in that case when the farmer is not agreeable to the present report of the Revenue Department. “If there is any difference pertaining to the ownership area of a farmer in the list downloaded from the governance reforms portal, only then that farmer would need new jamabandi,” he clarified.
BOOST TO COOPERATIVE BANKS
To boost the co-operative banks, Randhawa decided that a sustained campaign would be launched pertaining to the amounts of the government departments being deposited these banks besides opening accounts in these banks.
“In this regard, the Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa has agreed to deposit the amounts with regard to his department in the co-operative banks,” he said.
CO-OP BANK ATMs IN JAIlS
Randhawa, who also holds the charge of Jail Department, said that the salary accounts of the employees of Jail Department would be opened in the co-operative banks and an ATM of the co-operative banks would be opened in every jail.
VERKA MIlK IN DElHI
Randhawa also announced that Verka milk would be marketed in the national capital of Delhi as “it is the topmost brand in Punjab and its base would be vastly expanded in case it is marketed vigorously in Delhi”.