Other States - Punjab   

Amarinder promises to bail out farmers

Centre approached for special relief package of Rs. 2060 crores

Patiala: Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday resolved to bail out small and marginal farmers from the burden of rural indebtedness by legislation in the Assembly, during its specially convened two-day session from September 14 to 15.

After laying the foundation stone of the Rs 28-crore Railway Over Bridge here at 21 No Railway crossing, Capt. Singh told reporters that he had already approached Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram to grant a special Financial Package of Rs 2059.95 crores on the pattern of Vidarbha to help farmers of the State.

Giving the break-up of the proposed relief package, he said that under the One Time Settlement (OTS) for cooperative banks, the amount was Rs 209.36 crore, One Time Assistance for Punjab Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACSs) and Punjab Agriculture Development Banks (PADBs) to liquidate their loses (198.79 crore), relief under OTS for commercial banks (Rs 390 crore) and one-year moratorium on payments of interest on all agricultural loans advanced by the Cooperative Banks and commercial banks (1261.80 crore).

He said that during his meeting with the Prime Minister, he impressed upon Dr Manmohan Singh to provide requisite financial assistance to Punjab as per the proposed one-time relief and rehabilitation assistance to Punjab farmers who had attained self-sufficiency in food production.

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Amarinder promises to bail out farmers

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