Failure to repay loan: Stop issuing arrest warrants against farmers, SAD tells Mann

In a statement, senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema expressed shock that arrest warrants had been issued to farmers in Bathinda, Mansa, Ferozepur and Fazilka districts for failing to repay loans taken from the Punjab Agricultural Development Bank. He said most of the defaulters were from the state’s cotton belt

Chandigarh: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday asked chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to stop issuing arrest warrants against farmers who had failed to repay their loans because of deteriorating financial conditions due to crop failure and sharp increase in input cost.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday asked chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to stop issuing arrest warrants against farmers who had failed to repay their loans because of deteriorating financial conditions due to crop failure and sharp increase in input cost.

In a statement, senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema expressed shock that arrest warrants had been issued to farmers in Bathinda, Mansa, Ferozepur and Fazilka districts for failing to repay loans taken from the Punjab Agricultural Development Bank. He said most of the defaulters were from the state’s cotton belt.

Asserting that the CM was best informed about the agricultural crisis being faced by the state and had always been a votary against use of high-handed methods against farmers, Cheema demanded withdrawal of the arrest warrants.

He said the AAP government should also extend all possible help to farmers including they were paid a bonus of ₹500 per quintal to compensate them for the failure of the wheat crop.

The SAD leader also expressed shock that the AAP government had not reacted in time and did not make a case for comprehensive relief to Punjab farmers following partial failure of their wheat crop.