With the Congress government yet to waive loans of farmers in Punjab, the Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal has questioned the State government’s commitment to farm debt waiver.
The Akali Dal has accused the State government, led by Capt. Amarinder Singh, of deliberately delaying loan waiver to farmers even though it was promised in its poll manifesto. SAD leader and Member of Parliament Prem Singh Chandumajra said that the government was trying to buy time by forming an expert committee, which is slated to submit its report after two months.
“The government should explain the need of this committee... Wasn’t your election manifesto prepared by the present FM Manpreet Badal? Didn’t former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh release the manifesto after vetting the loan waiver promise?”, he asked.
The total farm debt in Punjab amounts to more than ₹80,000 crore, including the ₹12,500 crore crop loans in the cooperative sector. The average debt per farm household in Punjab works out to ₹8 lakh (including crop loan), while the State’s per hectare debt of small and marginal farmers was the highest in India.
