Farmers get Rs 66.45-cr loan waiver in Faridkot

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, February 2

The state government has waived off loan worth Rs 66.45 crore of 14,208 farmers in Faridkot district. This was stated by Faridkot MLA Kushaldeep Dhillon while addressing a gathering of farmers in Faridkot on Saturday.

He claimed that after farmers, all khet mazdoor, reeling under debts will also be given benefit of loan waiver scheme in the next step.

Dhillon said that the state government acted without any partiality while giving waiver to the farmers. Ridiculing the Akali leaders, he said there were many Akali leaders who have also availed the benefit of this scheme. “So far these leaders were highly critical of this scheme of the state government but they are frontrunners in claiming benefit of this scheme”, said Dhillon.

The list of 5,059 new beneficiaries of loan waiver, released by the district administration on Friday has raised many eyebrows. In this list, the names of many politically influential and economically well-to-do families member are also mentioned.

These bigwig beneficiaries include Manjit Kaur Brar, mother of former Akali MLA from Kotkapura, Mantar Singh Brar,former SGPC member Makhan Singh Nangal, Jasveer Kaur, wife of former SGPC member Sher Singh Mandwala, Jaswinder Singh, brother of SGPC member Sukhdev Singh, former Akali leader Darshan Singh and Mohan Singh Bhana.

Manjit Kaur Brar has got the waiver of Rs 89,137 loan. Brar denied of having any information of his mother getting any benefit of loan waiver. “She lives with my younger brother, Kultar Singh Brar, I don’t have any information about it”, he said. Kultar Singh Brar, former chairman, Zila Parishad, did not respond despite repeated phone calls.

Former SGPC member, Makhan Singh Nangal has got waiver of Rs 1.66 lakh.

While the name of many small farmers are not finding mention in this list, many influential and rich persons have been given benefit of loan waiver; this was the complaint by many farmers whose name did not find mention in the loan waiver list for ‘unknown reasons’.

Rajiv Prashar, Deputy Commissioner, Faridkot, said the list of beneficiaries was prepared as per the guidelines and rules after the cooperative department conducting a survey to find out the eligible beneficiaries.