Debt-ridden farmers continue to end their lives in Punjab despite the Congress-led government announcing loan waivers for them, opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today alleged.
With farmers' outfits claiming that over 100 suicides have taken place ever since Amarinder Singh-led government took reins of the state, opposition parties accused the state government of committing fraud against the growers by providing a "minuscule" amount for waiver while backing out on its promise of total waiver of farm debt.
Lashing out at the government, the SAD accused it of playing fraud with distressed growers by announcing just Rs 1,500 crore.
"They have done nothing. Against a debt of Rs 90,000 crore, provision of just Rs 1,500 crore has been made. It is a fraud with farmers," SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said today.
"Anticipating debt waiver, most of the farmers have stopped repayment of their dues and they are now becoming defaulters, thus becoming unable to get loan at 4 per cent. On the other hand, with dwindling recoveries, the cooperative banks and societies are short of funds for fresh lending," said Cheema.
"Government is forcing growers to take loan from arthiyas at high rate of interest," he alleged.
A farmers' body also attacked the Amarinder government in the state on the burning issue.
"Ever since the debt waiver has been announced, between 40 and 50 farmers have committed suicides in Punjab," Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan Ekta) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Khokri said.
"Over 100 farmers have ended their lives in last four months. Most of suicides took place in Malwa belt-Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar, Sangrur, Fazilka and Moga," Khokri said.
"The problem is more severe in cotton belt area where growers have been burdened with huge debt following the attack of pest on the crop. They are taking their lives as they are financially unable to repay their debt," Khokri told PTI while demanding remunerative prices for crops.
The total agricultural debt in Punjab has been pegged at Rs 85,000-Rs 90,000 crore, out of which total loan to farmers including marginal and small growers was Rs 72,700 crore.
Last month, Punjab government had announced total waiver of entire crop loans up to Rs 2 lakh for small and marginal farmers (up to 5 acres), and a flat Rs 2 lakh relief for all other marginal farmers, irrespective of their loan amount, which would benefit a total of 10.25 lakh farmers.
The government made a provision of Rs 1,500 crore in the state budget for debt waiver.
Expecting loan waiver, a majority of growers in Punjab have also stopped repayment of their debt to banks including cooperative ones, making difficult for financial institutions to make fresh lending to them, a bank official said.
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