Chandigarh, June 5:Even as he sought modification in the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY), Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider agriculture loan waiver at national level on priority, as a one-time solution to help the distressed farmers.
In two separate letters, underlining the need to safeguard the interests of Punjab’s farmers, the Chief Minister has stressed that a one-time agriculture debt waiver for farmers at the national level was essential, while calling for PMFBY modifications to make the pro-farmer initiative more effective in transforming the rural economy.The relief given by the Punjab government from its limited resources was not adequate and needed to be supplemented by the Centre, he said in his letter, seeking the loan waiver on a national level. He pointed out that this farmer-friendly initiative would not only contribute to a large extent in reducing the distress but would also help in putting agriculture sector on a path of high growth trajectory and development with an assurance and hope of better quality living for the farmers of the country.
The Centre should bite the bullet once and for all, he said, adding that it was widely acknowledged that most of these ‘anndattas’ of the country were facing severe debt stress, as a result of which some of them had even taken the extreme step of ending their lives by committing suicides.
Amarinder said the state government alone provided a debt relief of Rs 2 lakh to all marginal farmers who had availed institutional loan and the small farmers with loans up to Rs 2 lakh.
While the recent initiatives of the Centre, including financial assistance under PM-Kisan and pension to the farmers. were praiseworthy, they might not be adequate to mitigate the prevailing economic distress on account of high indebtedness of the Punjab farmer, he added.
Meanwhile, in another letter, the Chief Minister has urged Modi to advise the Union Ministry of Agriculture to effect suitable modifications in PMFBY.
Amarinder said though the scheme was considered a step forward and better than the previous ones, there were several lacunae, which had resulted in its non-acceptance by Punjab’s farmers and its non-implementation in the state.
