Rakesh Tikait asks Punjab Govt if it remembers ex-CM's 'loan waiver' promise for farmers

After staging a nationwide protest- Bharat Bandh, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Tuesday asked Punjab Government if it remembers the promise made by former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh. Tikait said that he is 'expecting' the current State Government to waive the entire loan of all the farmers. Earlier, in July then CM Amarinder Singh had announced a loan waiver worth Rs 590 crore for labourers and landless agricultural communities under the farm debt waiver scheme. 

The new Chief Minister must remember the promise made by Congress and Captain, said BKU's Rakesh Tikait.

Punjab Government's announcement on farmer's loan waiver

In a move to fulfil the key promise, Captain Amarinder Singh had informed that his government will pay off loans to the tune of Rs 590 crore of 2,85,325 members of the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) which is the smallest cooperative credit organisation made for effective measures at the grassroots level (gram panchayat and village level). The state government had also promised to provide relief of Rs 20,000 per member. He had directed the Finance and Cooperation departments that were present at the meeting to begin the process of putting the decision into action on the ground. 

Ex-CM Amarinder Singh's "Debt Waiver Scheme"

Then Chief Minister had made the promises under "Debt Waiver Scheme" in which lakhs of farmers had taken crores of loans. Reportedly, 5.64 lakh farmers have had loans worth Rs. 4624 crore waived off under the scheme, which was announced as part of the Punjab Congress's 2017 election manifesto. In addition, loans availed by individuals of the SC and BC categories were written off up to Rs. 50,000 each, with the SC Corporation waiving up to Rs. 58.39 crores in loans for 6405 beneficiaries and the BC Corporation waiving up to Rs. 20.71 crores in loans for 1225 beneficiaries.

Significantly, the announcement by the former Chief Minister was made keeping Assembly Elections in view which is scheduled in February 2022. The current legislature, which was elected in 2017, will be dissolved on March 27, 2022, unless it is dissolved sooner. The change in leadership in state's ruling party was recently witnessed.