Chandigarh: Union food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal today requested union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari to exclude tractors used for agricultural purpose from being considered as commercial vehicles as this was having a detrimental effect on lives of lakhs of farmers in the country.

Mrs Badal, who has written a letter to Mr Nitin Gadkari on the issue, said as per new rules tractors have been excluded from the category of non-transport vehicles. This effectively means that tractors used for agricultural purposes would be treated at par with commercial transport vehicles.

The Union minister said once this new law was implemented all laws governing commercial vehicles would be applicable on tractors including requirement of permit, minimum educational qualification for driving besides the financial constraint of higher GST which would go up from 12 per cent to 28 per cent.

Requesting the road transport and highways ministry to reconsider this decision, Mrs Badal said given the demographic profile and economic condition of farmers in the country, especially in the state of Punjab which was an agrarian state, tractors needed to be kept out of the purview of commercial vehicles.

She said this was also needed because farmers were already distressed and would be further burdened with increased tax on tractors.