Chandigarh: To fulfill the commitment made by the Congress party in the poll campaign for the farm loan waiver, the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh announced a total waiver of crop loan up to Rs 2 lakh for small farmers up to five acres and a flat of Rs 1 lakh relief for all the other marginal farmers.

Chandigarh: To fulfill the commitment made by the Congress party in the poll campaign for the farm loan waiver, the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh announced a total waiver of crop loan up to Rs 2 lakh for small farmers up to five acres and a flat of Rs 1 lakh relief for all the other marginal farmers.

During his speech in the Vidhan Sabha, the Chief Minister stated that the current move would benefit more than 10 lakh farmers including eight lakh farmers who owned up to five acres of land.            

Amarinder Singh claimed that the Punjab government has given double relief as compare to the other two states, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. The decision has been announced after the recommendations of prominent economist Dr. T Haque.

Making it clear that his government stood by its commitment to waive off the crop loans of the farmers, Captain Amarinder said his government had also additionally decided to take over the outstanding crop loan from institutional sources of all the families of farmers who committed suicides in the state. It has also decided to raise the ex-gratia for suicide affected families to Rs.5.00 lakh from the existing Rs.3.00 lakh.

The Chief Minister proposed that the Speaker may constitute a five member Committee of Vidhan Sabha to visit the families of the suicide victims, ascertain the reasons for suicides and suggest further steps to be taken to check this menace forever.

Captain Amarinder informed the House that his government had already decided to repeal Section 67 A of the Punjab Cooperative Societies Act, 1961, which provides for auction or kurki of farmers' land.

The Chief Minister also announced a series of other measures to bring the agriculture sector back on track. These include an agriculture sustainability programme with focus on various initiatives to boost cultivation, growth and quality of crops, backed by attractive remuneration and greater incentives on alternative crops. Other measures include revamp of Farm Extension Services and a new legislation to regulate agriculture education.