Punjab’s Cooperation Department has, so far, recovered Rs 6.5 crore from the big-time defaulters.
Sharing the information, the state Co-operation Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Wednesday said that the Cooperation Department would play a leading role in strengthening of state’s farming sector and all cooperative institutions.
Randhawa, at the same time, exhorted the farmers to face vicissitudes of life in a bold manner while assuring them that the State Government would always stand by them in their hour of need.
He also announced to restart the closed cooperative societies saying that 3,500 cooperative societies would prove to be the cornerstones for the progress of state’s rural belt.
Randhawa, while addressing a huge gathering of farmers on the eve of a function to distribute debt relief certificates to the farmers hailing from Gidderbaha and Malout constituencies, said that a total of 10 lakh farmers across Punjab would be given Rs 9,500 crore debt relief and after the completion of the first phase, the second one would be commencing soon.
He said that the previous regime only indulged in promising moon to the people whereas the present government actually acted in the farmers’ interest by implementing debt relief scheme and lifting the previous three crops without any hitch.
The Minister also challenged the former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to take up the issue of farm debt before the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, if he really cares for the farmers of Punjab.
Meanwhile, Randhawa said that corrupt practices would not be tolerated at any cost nor would any kind of nepotism be tolerated. He also announced Rs 20 lakh from his discretionary fund for the all round development of Gidderbaha.
Gidderbaha MlA Raja Amarinder Singh Warring said that Punjab Government has, so far, waived off debt of 9,404 farmers hailing from Sri Muktsar Sahib totaling Rs 49.41 crore. “The government has implemented the scheme without any discrimination,” he said while assuring that no eligible farmer would be left out from deriving the benefits under the scheme.