Chidambaram's loan waiver scheme worries Pakistan Radio

Attari, Mar 20 : Pakistan Radio's programmes directed to farmers in the border areas of Punjab have been trying to minimise the importance of the loan waiver scheme announced by Finance Minister Chidambaram in the recent budget

The 600 billion-loan waiver package has been projected as a 'political stunt' in the Pakistan radio broadcasts. The scheme, it has been projected, had no takers in India and people across party lines came down heavily on it.

Farmers in Punjab are aware that the opposition parties in India criticise the Government of India's initiative, in reality people across the country have welcomed the loan waiver scheme. A sigh of relief is visible on the faces of farmers across the country.

The scheme intends to contain agrarian crisis that is being faced by farmers in certain parts of the country.

Apart from this scheme the Finance Minister has also announced several other packages that would help in boosting the agriculture sector.

The listeners to the Pakistan Radio broadcasts feel it is time the originators of the programmes stop their efforts at brain washing. They are na¯ve that the Gurbani Kirtan is aired in the beginning of the programmes will make people believe in the venomous items that follow.

Strongly rejecting the allegation levelled by Pakistan Radio, Kashmir Singh, a farmer in Amritsar, said: "The Union Government announced increase in the minimum support price of wheat and the scheme to waive off bank loans of small and marginal farmers. This is a big relief."

Avtar Singh, a farmer in Attari, says that with the announcement of loan waiver scheme, very few farmers will think of attempting suicide.

Former mayor of Amritsar, Sunil Dutt, said: " The radio has not done thorough study of the scheme and is misleading the Indian farmers with its false and malicious news coverage."

Dutt further said that the Pakistan media should know that the cost of land in Punjab has increased manifold in last few years, and "to support its farmers' the government has increased 100 rupees in the minimum support price of wheat.

In the past too, Pakistan Radio's repeated attempts to mislead those living along the Indo-Pak border of the state, has only increased their allergy to the broadcasts.

They are aware of the difficulties faced by farmers in Pakistan, and hope that they would be helped by the new Government that would be formed in that country. They feel that If the farmers in Pakistan are happy, it would help in establishing a peaceful border.

Sunil Dutt l feels sorry for state of farmers across the border in Pakistan and hopes they overcome their shortcomings and difficulties.

ANI