The Punjab government has rolled out a Rs. 520 crore debt relief scheme aimed at offering much needed relief to some 2.85 lakh farm labourers and landless farmers across the state. The roll out was announced by state Chief Minister (CM) Captain Amarinder Singh, on 20 August 2021.
The state government shall write off Rs. 520 crore worth of loans by waiving off the principal amount borrowed with 31 July 2017 as the cut off. The scope of the scheme also includes the simple interest payable against the loans at a rate of 7 per cent a year with a cut of 6 March 2019, he said.
Earlier, the state government had written off loans worth Rs 4,700 crore benefitting approximately 5.85 lakh small and marginal farmers.
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The Congress leader also targeted the BJP-led Centre over the farm laws, claiming that the ruling dispensation was not listening to the farming community. He also went on to claim that he was asked by the Centre to stop farmers from going to Delhi as part of the agitation, a request that he allegedly denied.
In his speech, he also urged Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to repeal the controversial farm laws.
Led- by farmer leader Rakesh Tikait among others, farmers from Punjab, Haryana and certain other parts of the country have been at loggerheads with the BJP government, demanding that the three farm laws be repealed immediately. This has resulted in a stalemate as both, the farming community and the government are unwilling to give an inch.
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These farm Bills received Presidential assent on 27 September 2021, following which they were notified in the gazette.
