Debt waiver won’t resolve farmers’ issues: MP

Patiala, June 21

Patiala MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi termed the Punjab Budget hopeless, contending that it was no different from those presented by the previous SAD-BJP government and lacked plan to bring the state out of the financial mess.

“The fiscal deficit will increase to 4.96 per cent of the state GDP from 2.9 per cent last year. It is much higher than the 3 per cent mark set by the RBI,” he said. “Disregarding the opinion of the economist, who had said debt waiver was a useless exercise, the allocation of Rs 1,500 crore  for the purpose is a cruel joke with farmers,” he said. — TNS