Rs 170 cr loans of farmers to be waived: MLA

Tribune News Service

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Amritsar, November 18

MLA Harpratap Singh Ajnala has announced that Rs 170 crore loans of 13,000 farmers of Ajnala border district will be waived as part of the waiver announced by the Capt Amarinder Singh government to financially help farming.

Addressing farmers on the occasion of the 64th All-India Cooperative Week, Ajnala said the move will help farmers with small land holdings. He suggested that small farmers must utilize farm appliances from the Agriculture Appliances Cooperative Society to reduce their input cost.

He called upon the farmers to take advances only from the cooperative society, as they charge minimum 4 per cent rate of interest. He added that they must invest the amount in the same profession for which the loan was taken.

Patti constituency MLA Harminder Singh Gill appealed to farmers with agriculture land less than five acres to take appliances from cooperative societies. He appealed to farmers to desist from stubble burning to save environment. He hoped that the farmers would be able to sell stubble from the next season, as the state government had collaborated with a private concern to generate electricity and solid fuel out of stubble. MLA Sunil Dutti said first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had incorporated the cooperative movement in Five Year Plans to raise the standard of living of farmers.