Punjab govt to take over loan of farmers: Amarinder

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today said his government will soon take over farmers' loans and ensure that their mortgaged land or property was not confiscated.
"There is no question of backtracking on the debt waiver promise and the government will soon take over the loans of the farmers. It will also ensure that their mortgaged land/ property is not confiscated," he said in a statement here.
The CM said his government has already fulfilled the promise to bring an end to 'kurki' (auction of mortgaged land) in the state.
Meanwhile, state cabinet minister Navjot Sidhu said the government was looking for a permanent solution to the problem of farm debts.

"The aim is to make the farmers self-reliant so that they don't have to take loans in the future," he said and assured the farmers that the state government would do everything in its power to help them stand on their feet.
Sidhu suggested a licensing system for money lenders to ensure a fair and just system of taking loans in case of dire necessity.

The minister also listed crop insurance as a measure that the government was looking at to secure the state's beleaguered farmers.
"There should be a cap on the lines of Sir Chottu Ram Punjab Relief Indebtedness Act of 1934 so that no farmer has to ever pay more than double the amount of sum insured, said Sidhu.

He sought the central government's intervention to check the misuse of MGNREGA and also bring farmers with less than five acres of land into the scheme's ambit.
On the issue of the minimum support price (MSP), Sidhu said the MSP of crops should be guided by change in input costs to help farmers get their due remuneration.