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| Cabinet Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu addressing the gathering during a district-level debt-relief function in Ludhiana |
Ludhiana, May 09, 2018 (Iqbal Happy): Punjab Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu on Wednesday claimed that the state government led by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh is fulfilling its each promise made in party's manifesto during the assembly elections and its' performance is enough to debunk the propaganda of the opposition parties against the government.
He said this to media persons during a district-level debt-relief function in local Guru Nanak Bhawan in which debt waiver of Rs 88.02 crore of 13069 farmers was provided by Punjab government.
Ashu told that opposition parties are trying to rake up non-issues to tarnish government's image, however SAD-BJP did nothing for the peasantry during its regime of ten-year.
The minister stated that each and every single grain was procured and payment was made on time by the government in wheat procurement season but the farmers were harassed in grain markets during SAD-BJP government.
He said government knows its duties very well and our intentions are clear in implementing its policies and programs for the welfare of people.
Expressing determination and commitment, the minister said that each debt-ridden farmer would be given waiver in the coming years as soon as government's financial condition gets sound.
He revealed the debt-relief program of his government that started from Mansa this year, has already cleared debt of Rs 999.67 crore to 2, 02,111 small and marginal farmers (including today's amount and number of farmers) who had taken loans from co-operative banks and soon, second phase would start in which marginal and small farmers of Public Sector Banks and Commercial Banks would be taken up by government.
Member of Parliament (MP) Ravneet Singh Bittu exhorted the farmers to adopt new technologies and diversified farming to save the environment and depleting groundwater.
MP also targeted previous SAD-BJP government for ignoring the farmers and alleged spurious fertilizers and seeds were given to them hence they got trapped in the debt and starting committing suicides.
MP asked them to reduce their unnecessary expenditures and told that apart from farmers, the debt-ridden labourers would also be covered under this scheme.
Later, the minister and MP also distributed debt-relief certificates to the farmers.
MLA Gill Kuldeep Singh Vaid, former minister Malkeet Singh Dakha, District Congress Chief (rural) Gurdev Singh Lapran and Co-operative societies' Deputy Registrar Gurdit Singh also addressed the gathering.
On the occasion, MLA Sanjay Talwar, Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu, Senior deputy Mayor Sham Sunder Malhotra, Deputy Mayor Sarbjeet Kaur, District Congress Chief (urban) Gurpreet Gogi, ADC (G) Iqbal Singh Sandhu, SDM Damanjeet Singh Mann, Co-operative societies' Joint Director Darshan Singh Gill, Co-operative societies' MD Ludhiana, Darshan Lal, MD Hoshiarpur Amanpreet Singh, District Manager Davinder Pal Singh, Senior Congress leader Kamaljeet Singh Karwal, PPCC General Secretary Major Singh Bhaini, Major Singh Mullanpur, Anand Sarup Singh Mohi, Naresh Dhingan, Councillor Narinder Sharma Kala, Ladi Sarpanch Jassar and others were present.