Hoshiarpur tops Punjab with Rs 103.91-crore loan waiver

Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, August 20

Under the Punjab Government’s debt waiver scheme for landless farmers and labourers, Hoshiarpur district topped the state with loan waiver worth Rs 103.91 crore to 46,468 beneficiaries.

Industries Minister Sunder Sham Arora, MLAs Sangat Singh Gilzian and Indu Bala personally handed over debt relief cheques to 15 beneficiaries in a district level function held at the District Administrative Complex.

The minister said the scheme would ensure debt relief for 46,468 beneficiaries in the district worth Rs 103.91 crore while the 2.85 lakh beneficiaries across the state are being covered with amount to the tune of Rs 520 crore. He said Capt Amarinder Singh was first to execute the welfare step which benefited nearly three lakh families. He said the step was yet another promise, which had been fulfilled by the State Government.

AAP burns arora’s effigy, stages protest

• Demanding removal of Industries Minister Sunder Sham Arora from Cabinet, workers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday burnt his effigy and staged a protest before of his house.
• Brahm Shankar Jimpa alleged that Cabinet Minister Sunder Sham Arora has sold the government property of Mohali-based JCT Company to his accomplices at throwaway prices during the lockdown due to which there was a loss of Rs 125 crore to the exchequer
• The loss has also been confirmed by the Advocate General of Punjab, he added. He alleged that the minister has also committed a scam in the allocation of industrial plots, which should be investigated

MLA Sangat Singh Gilzian said the state had waived off loans worth Rs 271 crore of farmers in the district, including today’s 104 crore of landless farmers and farm labourers. He said in Tanda Urmur constituency a total of 9,720 beneficiaries had got relief of 22.37 crore and they would be covered in days to come. Mukerian MLA Indu Bala described the initiative of the state government a landmark step to bail out poverty-stricken families from outstanding debts.

The minister, both MLAs, Deputy Commissioner Apneet Riyait and Deputy Registrar Cooperative Societies Umesh Kumar personally handed over cheques of debt relief to 15 beneficiaries from different areas of the district.

Prominent amongst those present on the occasion included Mayor Surinder Kumar, Senior Deputy Mayor Praveen Saini, Deputy Mayor Ranjeet Chaudhary and senior officers/officials of cooperative societies and banks in the district.

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AAP protests against Industries Minister Arora

Hoshiarpur, August 20

Demanding removal of Industries Minister Sunder Sham Arora from Cabinet, workers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday burnt his effigy and staged a protest before of his house.

Addressing the protesters, Brahm Shankar Jimpa alleged that Cabinet Minister Sunder Sham Arora has sold the government property of Mohali-based JCT Company to his accomplices at throwaway prices during the lockdown due to which there was a loss of Rs 125 crore to the exchequer. The loss has also been confirmed by the Advocate General of Punjab, he added. He alleged that the minister has also committed a scam in the allocation of industrial plots, which should be investigated. But instead of protecting the interests of Punjab, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh was defending him. TNS