Will waive farm loans from commercial banks too: CM

Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, April 5

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh distributed debt waiver certificates worth Rs 156 crore among 26,998 farmers of six districts at a function here on Thursday.

The CM stated that debt relief to the tune of Rs 457 crore had been disbursed so far to about 1.02 lakh farmers in three phases, covering 16 districts.

Capt Amarinder added that after completing debt waiver of cooperative loans, the government would soon begin writing off farm loans taken from commercial banks, which, too, would be completed by the end of this year.

“The government has also decided to give financial assistance worth Rs 50,000 each to landless labourers to bail them out of the agrarian crisis,” he said.

Earlier, PPCC chief Sunil Jakhar accused the Centre of overlooking the interests and rights of SCs and referred to the 10 per cent reduction in the scholarship budget.

Medical college for Gurdaspur

Accepting a demand of the locals, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday announced the setting up of a medical college-cum-hospital in Gurdaspur. He asked Gurdaspur MP Sunil Jakhar to identify site for the college. Welcoming the move, Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa said the college would prove beneficial for people of Gurdaspur and Pathankot. He said he had written a letter to the CM on the issue in February and stressed on border areas that lack medical facilities. Meanwhile, the CM announced to revamp the old Batala sugar mill with increased capacity. He said funds had also been allocated to cooperative mill at Paniar.