Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh assures farmers of early debt waiver

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday assured state farmers of early waiver of their debts and added that his government will not backtrack on its promise in this regard. He urged Punjab’s debt-ridden farmers not to commit suicide and assured of steps to help the farming community. He also said that his government will bring out a White Paper on the financial situation in the border state. “I urge the farmers not to resort to suicide as a high-powered committee set up to work out the loan waiver modalities is on the job in right earnest,” Amarinder Singh said. [caption id=“attachment_3473252” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of Punjab CM Amarinder Singh. Reuters[/caption] He was addressing the captains of industry at an interactive session organised here by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He said the new Congress government had already put a stop on ‘kurki’ (seizure/sale of property/land for non-repayment of loans) to fulfil a major election promise. Amarinder Singh lamented that agriculture, despite being of critical importance, was not resulting in economic growth. Citing the examples of Japan and Germany to express the hope that Punjab too will get out of its current financial mess and again become India’s topmost state, the Chief Minister said that revival of industry was on top of his government’s agenda. Amarinder Singh said he will ensure ease of doing business, backed by affordable power, to attract industrial investment in Punjab. “Our government is still trying to ascertain the extent of financial mess in the state and will soon bring out a White Paper to expose the real situation,” he said. The Chief Minister admitted that truck unions, with a monopoly on the business, were a big problem for the industry and assured of early resolution of the issue. Industry body PHDCCI demanded a legislation to regulate operations of such unions which, it said, were indulging in “massive extortion and intimidation”. It also demanded that all illegal activities of these unions be made punishable to ensure that they operate as any other service provider company.