The Punjab Cabinet on Tuesday gave its formal nod to Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s promise to scrap `kurki’, thereby paving the way for far-reaching relief to the debt-burdened farmers of the state.The cabinet decision came amid the Chief Minister’s reiteration of his commitment to rescue the state’s beleaguered farmers from their debt burdens by waiving off their loans and putting an end to `kurki’.The Council of Ministers, which met here at Punjab Bhavan under the chairmanship of Captain Amarinder Singh, stamped its approval on the government decision to abolish Section 67-A of Punjab Cooperative Societies Act 1961, which provides for `kurki’ (attachment) to recover loans as arrears of land revenue.In another move to reform the agriculture sector, reeling under the mismanagement legacy inherited by the Congress government, the cabinet also okayed the supersession of the existing nominated Market Committees.
As per the cabinet decision, Section 12 of the Punjab Agricultural Produce Market Act, 1961, will be amended to appoint Administrators, who shall perform the official duties and exercise powers of the Market Committees for a period of one year or till the nomination of Market Committees, whichever is earlier.The meeting also decided to rename the Department of Agriculture as department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to strengthen focus on issues related to farmers and their welfare. It also decided to change the nomenclature of the Department of irrigation to Department of Water Resources to impart greater focus on issues related to water, its optimal, efficient and sustainable use.An official spokesperson disclosed that it was also decided to form a cabinet sub-committee to review the review the Agriculture Debt Reconciliation Act 2016 to make it effective and broad- based and farmer-friendly, in line with the Chief Minister’s strong commitment to promoting the welfare of the state’s farmers create a more enabling environment for agricultural development. The council of ministers felt that the Act, formulated in 2016, was not favourable to farmers and needed a review to make it more impactful.