Amarinder in Delhi to persue package for farmers

Patiala, Nov 18 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today flew down to New Delhi to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi to persuade the Centre for an economic package to Punjab.

Besides meeting Dr Manmohan Singh and Ms Sonia Gandhi for the purpose, the Chief Minister would also discuss poll strategy for the coming state assembly elections with other Congress leaders in New Delhi.

Highly placed sources said here today that, the Chief Minister wanted the Centre to formulate concrete policy to waive off a debt of Rs 2500 crore to bail out the farmers of Punjab from the vicious debt trap.

Capt Singh was seriously pursuing the case of rural indebtedness with the Centre and hoped a package envisaging one-time settlement for poor farmers would be announced soon, the sources said.

Meanwhile, Capt Amarinder Singh, before going to New Delhi said, the prime minister was likely to visit Punjab on November 26.

Addressing the mediapersons at Nabha after inaugurating series of bridges and laying of foundation stones of roads in the region, Capt Singh said the Prime Minister was likely to lay the foundation stone of Halwara airport and inaugurate the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission Programme at Ludhiana and Amritsar to boost the urban development in both these cities.

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