Punjab to pay paddy bonus to farmers by online banking system

Chandigarh, Nov 14 (UNI) The Punjab Government has chalked out a comprehensive programme to credit over Rs 650 crore paddy bonus to more than 10 million farmers directly in their accounts by online banking system.

Stating this here today, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon said that he had called a meeting of General Managers of all leading banks of the state and advised them to open no-frill, zero-balance accounts free of cost for farmers. Moreover, banks have also agreed to not to impose any condition of minimum balance in the accounts of farmers, he added.

Mr Kairon said that the Food Supplies Department would compile a data bank of account numbers of more than 10 million farmers in the state and directly credit bonus at the rate of Rs 50 per quintal paddy in the bank accounts of farmers.

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