Punjab seeks relief package of Rs 2060 crore for farmers from PM

New Delhi, June 22 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and sought a relief package of Rs 2059.95 crore to bail out the farmers of the state from the debt trap.

Pleading the case for adequate financial assistance from the Centre to offset the problem of ever-increasing indebtedness, Capt.

Singh said the Punjab Government had already submitted a proposal for the four-fold relief package to enable the small and marginal farmers, particularly who hold less than 1 to 1.5 acre of agricultural land, to overcome their difficulties due to indebtedness resulted from the deterioration in farm income on account of traditional cropping pattern of wheat-paddy rotation and the persistent hike in the cost of agriculture inputs of fertilizers, insecticides, weedicides and diesel.

Giving the breakup of the proposed relief package, Capt. Singh said that relief under One Time Settlement (OTS) for cooperative banks was Rs.209.36 crore, One Time Assistance for Punjab Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACSs) and Punjab Agriculture Development Banks (PADBs) to liquidate their loses (Rs.198.79 crore), relief under OTS for commercial banks (Rs.390 crore) and one year moratorium on payments of interest on all agricultural loans advanced by the Cooperative Banks and commercial banks (Rs.1261.80 crore).

Capt Singh impressed upon Dr Singh to provide requisite financial assistance to Punjab as per the proposed one-time relief and rehabilitation assistance to Punjab farmers who had played a a major role in attaining self-sufficiency in food production.

''We feel that it is a small price for the Government of India to recognize the untiring efforts of Punjab farmers'', said Capt.

Singh.

The Chief Minister further urged the Prime Minister to advise the Ministry of Finance to sanction Rs.760 crore for infrastructure, Rs.630 for urban infrastructure, Rs.340 crore for roads, Rs.100 crore for power and Rs.110 crore for education against the proposal of the special package of Rs.2040 crore already submitted with the Government, out of which Rs.100 crore had been provided so far to Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana for agriculture research and development.

Capt. Singh urged the Prime Minister to advise the Union Agriculture, Food, Consumer Affairs&Distribution Minister Sharad Pawar for adequate hike in the MSP of wheat and paddy keeping in view the recent escalation in the prices of agricultural inputs.

He commended Dr Singh for his relentless efforts for linking the issue of MSP with the Consumer Price Index thereby conceding the long pending demand of the farming community that would certainly bring prosperity to them.

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