Reiterating that Punjab Government is fully committed for the welfare of all sections of society especially the poverty stricken, Sports and NRIs Affairs Minister Pargat Singh on Saturday handed over debt waiver cheques worth over Rs. 73 lakhs to landless farmers and farm labourers.Giving away cheques to as many as 305 beneficiaries of Cooperative Society, Jamsher here, accompanied by Deputy Registrar Cooprative Societies Jagjit Singh, Minister said that under the debt waiver scheme for landless farmers and farm labourers a total of 41307 beneficiaries of Jalandhar district would be benefitted with a debt waiver to the tune of Rs. 78.47 crore. Likewise, debt worth Rs. 6.75 crore of landless farmers and labourers has been waived off in Jalandhar Cantt constituency, thereby giving relief to 3177 such beneficiaries. He said that the Cooperative Department was fully geared up to provide cheques to the beneficiaries thus covering all the societies within days to come. These society level events will also facilitate beneficiaries to get their debt waiver cheques at their doorsteps, he added.
The Minister also pointed out that the distribution of cheques to beneficiaries was ensuring fulfilment of one of another key promises of the State Government, which would further give a major reprieve to this section of the society. The outstanding dues of eligible beneficiaries of Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies will be waived off, said Pargat Singh. Meanwhile, the Minister also made a fervent appeal to the farmers not to burn paddy straw and crop residue in fields to avert environmental and health hazardous often erupts due to smog in the air. Pargat Singh said that this ill-practice should be stopped in larger interest of public and society vis-à-vis containing air and environment pollution. The Punjab Government has launched an I-Khet app for the facilitation of farmers so that they could get the realtime information of agri-inputs for effective management of paddy straw and crop residue in the fields, informed the Minister adding that farmers should take full advantage of this app to reverse the trend of stubble burning by utilising in-situ management machinery available in Cooperative Societies across Punjab.