Debts waived, farmers need not repay loans, saysCapt

Chandigarh, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has said that farmers, whose loans have been waived, need not pay the instalments. “The process of loan waiver, as announced in the Budget, will start within two months,” he said at a meeting of farmer organisations here today.
In the recently concluded Budget session, the government announced total waiver of crop loans up to Rs2 lakh for small and marginal farmers (up to 5 acres), and a flat Rs2 lakh relief for all other marginal farmers, irrespective of their loan amount.
The Chief Minister said his government would continue to mount pressure on the Centre for implementing Swaminathan Commission recommendations, which unions said would provide a long-term solution to problems of farmers.
“A Cabinet sub-committee has already been formed to speak to arhtiyas to resolve the matter of non-institutional loans,” Capt Amarinder told farmers while responding to concerns expressed on this count.
The state government made a budgetary allocation of only Rs1,500 crore for this year (2017-18) against a loan of nearly Rs90,000 crore outstanding against debt-ridden farmers.
The meeting discussed a suggestion to open the Attari border for export of vegetables.
Sunil Jakhar, PPCC chief, urged the state government to take up with the Centre the matter of exclusion of agriculture from Goods and Services Tax (GST). He proposed the creation of an MSP Fund from the money saved by the Centre from lowering of fuel import cost.
Jakhar suggested norms to regulate lending by private agents and lenders, who charge arbitrary interest rates.
The representatives of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU-Ugrahan), BKU (Krantikari), BKU (Lakhowal), BKU (Rajewal), BKU (Dakaunda), Kirti Kisan Union, Kisan Sangharsh Committee (Pannu group), Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Punjab Kisan Union (Ruldu group) and Pagri Sabhal Jatta Lehar, among others, attended the meeting.