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Punjab to waive off debt up to 2 lakh for small and marginal farmers

Written by Joydeep Bose | Edited by Meenakshi Ray, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Dec 24, 2021 11:30 AM IST

The Punjab government will release the pending ₹1,200 crore to clear loans up to ₹2 lakh under the existing debt waiver scheme, according to chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who added that the scheme will cover 1.09 lakh farmers in the small and marginal category.

Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday announced the Congress-led state government will waive off debts of up to 2 lakh for the remaining 1.09 lakh small and marginal farmers, who own land up to five acres.

Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi (File Photo / HT)

This measure—costing 1,200 crore in state funds—is to be implemented within 10 days, said the chief minister of Punjab a day after he met protesting farmers, who had refused to make any concession on their demand for a complete debt waiver.

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Notably, the state government has already waived off loans of 5.63 lakh such farmers to the tune of 4,610 crore. Out of these, 1.34 lakh small farmers got relief of 980 crore while 4.29 lakh marginal farmers were benefitted from a loan waiver of Rs. 3,630 crore.

Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh on Friday, Channi said his government has also decided to waive off the debt of landless labourers and simultaneously passed a decision to form a reservation commission for the general category (GC).

“The Punjab government has decided to waive off debt up to 2 lakh for farmers who have land up to 5 acres, to be implemented in 10 days,” the Punjab chief minister told reporters. “We have also waived off the debt of landless labourers; the decision to form a commission for the general category has been passed.”

According to an estimate, farmers in Punjab are under a debt of 90,000 crore. Making a note of this fact, representatives of as many as 32 farmer organisations from across the state met the chief minister on Thursday and placed their demands before the administration.

These included farm loan waivers, cancellation of first information reports (FIR) lodged against farmers during the anti-farm law agitation, and compensation over land acquired for highway projects.

In the meeting, Channi offered to release the pending 1,200 crore to clear loans up to 2 lakh under the existing debt waiver scheme. The government, he said, will cover 1.09 lakh farmers in the small and marginal category and the amount will be waived in 10-12 days.

The Congress party’s Punjab unit also made the announcement from its official Twitter handle. “The Congress government will waive off the debt of up to 2 lakh rupees for 1.09 lakh small and marginal farmers for which 1200 crore rupees will be spent,” the party tweeted.

Acceding to another major demand of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), Channi also announced all the FIRs registered by the Punjab police against farmers, who had been protesting against the now repeated farm laws within the state, will be cancelled by December 31.

He directed the director-general of police (DGP) to immediately complete the requisite formalities so as to cancel all the FIRs filed against various farmers.

The next meeting between the state government and the protesting farmers will take place on December 29, according to Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Ekta Ugrahan Punjab president Joginder Singh.

Farmer unions, part of the SKM, have over the past four days held demonstrations across Punjab, demanding a complete waiver of farm loans and compensation to the kin of those who died during the anti-farm laws stir.

From Monday to Wednesday, they blocked railway tracks at different places in Ferozepur, Tarn Taran, Amritsar, and Hoshiarpur, affecting the movement of as many as 400 trains.

Meanwhile, a group of farmers had also staged a sit-in on Wednesday outside the office of the deputy commissioner (DC) in Ludhiana.

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