Patiala farmer gets notice to avail Rs 7 farm loan relief; admn calls it ‘clerical error’

The district administration termed it a clerical error and asked the beneficiary to file objection with the nodal officer for correction.

Balwinder Singh of Ghamrauda village in Patiala district’s Nabha sub-division got the shock of his life when he found Rs 7 relief against his name in the list of beneficiaries under the state government’s farm waiver scheme.

The list with Balwinder Singh’s name on it. (HT Photo)

Balwinder, who owns 1.5 acres of land, claimed to have availed of Rs 41,700 loan from the village cooperative society a year ago. The district administration, however, termed it a clerical error and asked the beneficiary to file objection with the nodal officer for correction.

Farmer unions have decided to hold a protest outside the district administrative complex on January 19. 

“I immediately took up the matter with the cooperative society secretary who asked me to visit the Nabha SDM’s office. My case was referred to the tehsildar office. They forwarded the file to local patwari who failed to give any satisfactory reply. I approached the tehsildar’s office again on Wednesday and they assured me of complete debt relief soon,” Balwinder said.

He said his wife Gurmeet Kaur, who had availed of Rs 62,000 loan, failed to find her name in the list.

4 Sangrur farmers get less than Rs 100 relief

Four instances wherein farmers got relief notices of less that Rs 100 were reported at Bhai Ki Pisore village in Lehragaga sub-division of Sangrur district . The list included Bachan Singh, (Rs 29) Satya Devi (Rs 45), Avtar Singh (Rs 83) and Baljeet Kaur (Rs 30).

In the initial phase, marginal farmers having less than 2.5-acre land and have taken loans from the state cooperative banks and societies have been covered. Deputy commissioner Kumar Amit said he will get the list verified as there must be some error.

“The social audit is done only for the purpose that if there are any discrepancies and errors, the beneficiaries could approach the officials concerned to make rectifications,” he said. Farmer unions have decided to hold a protest outside the district administrative complex on January 19.

“It is a joke with the farmers who are feeling dejected. The case of such relief is a testimony of the fact that the government is conducting the whole exercise in haste,” said Jagmohan Singh, secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU Dakaunda).

Surjit Singh Rakhra, district president of Shiromani Akali Dal, said the state government is embarrassing the farmers.