Badal forms core group for rural Punjab

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today constituted a core group comprising financial commissioners of revenue, development and cooperation to prepare the state's case to be presented before the "Working Group on Rural Indebtedness" in the Prime Minister's Office.

The "Working Group" has been set up to form national policy on the subject, on the basis of the representations received from different states. The chief minister expressed surprise that Punjab, which was one of worst sufferers in the matter of rural indebtedness, was yet to prepare its case to be sent to the Indian government.

The chief minister's decision comes in the wake of a memorandum submitted by the Punjab Bharti Kissan Union, led by Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, during a meeting with the chief minister today morning.

Badal said the problem of rural indebtedness was a cause of great concern as the incidence of suicides by beleaguered farmers due to heavy burden of debt had shown an alarming rise over the past five years.

Badal said he would pursue the case with the prime minister, union agriculture minister and finance minister for an early clearance of a package on rural indebtedness for Punjab on the pattern of the one given to Vidharbha.

Badal wanted the Centre to facilitate a "One-Time Settlement" (OTS) scheme to solve the problem of farmer's indebtedness under which the ultimate recovery amount must not exceed twice the principle amount. Those who had already repaid twice the principle amount should be offered a waiver in an across-the-board policy initiative.

He regretted that even as the Union government was giving finishing touches to its rural indebtedness policy, Punjab government was yet to complete the basic exercise of gathering data on the subject.

"Punjab cannot afford to loose anymore time because the national policy for rural indebtedness is on anvil and state must present its case to be included within its ambit," said Badal.