National
Farm debt waiver: Amarinder urges farmers not to agitate
Chandigarh, Jan 20 (IANS) Appealing to the state’s angry debt-ridden farming community, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday urged them to shun the path of agitation and said his government could not afford to waive off any more of their debts at the present juncture.
Reiterating that his government was committed to alleviating all their woes at the earliest, Amarinder Singh said that despite the severe financial crunch faced by the state government, Punjab had waived off more debts of its farmers than the other states.
He cited the examples of Maharashtra (up to Rs 1.5 lakh), Uttar Pradesh (up to Rs 1 lakh), Rajasthan (up to Rs 50,000), Madhya Pradesh (up to Rs 1 lakh) and Karnataka (up to Rs 50,000) to point to the extent to which his government had stretched itself to fulfill this important promise of the Congress to the farming community.
He urged the protesting farmers to appreciate the government’s efforts. The Chief Minister appealed to the farmers not to be misled by the opposition parties and some Kisan Unions, who he said were spreading false propaganda on the issue of farm debt waiver in order to promote their vested political interests.
“Considering the financial problems which my government had inherited from the Akalis, and also considering the lack of support on the issue from the central government, it is not possible, at present, to extend the debt waiver scheme to more farmers or to waive off more than Rs 2 lakh,” Amarinder Singh said in a statement here.
The Chief Minister sought more time from the farmers to implement farm debt waiver in toto, saying his government was working towards reviving the state’s economy so that all sections of the society could be brought back on the track of development.
“The thrust, at the moment, is on helping out the worst affected small and marginal farmers,” Singh said, adding that all the farmers would eventually be covered by the debt waiver scheme, once the state’s economy starts stabilizing.
Observing that the state exchequer had a debt of Rs 46,000 crore when he demitted office after his earlier stint in 2007, the Chief Minister said that his government was hit by a debt trap of over Rs 2 lakh crore when it took over from the SAD-BJP government in 2017.
“This has prevented his government from full implementation of its farm debt waiver promise in one go,” he added. “Nevertheless, of the 10.25 lakh farmers who are eligible to be covered under the debt waiver scheme announced by his government in its maiden budget, 5.63 lakh were slated to benefit in the first phase itself,” he pointed out, adding that his government had somehow managed to generate Rs 2,700 crore needed in this phase. “Unfortunately, however, the government is not in a position to garner more funds in the prevailing circumstances, and hence could not accept the demand of the farmers for total waiver,” he added.
The Chief Minister said that only the big ones among the 17.5 lakh farming families in the state had so far been left out of the waiver scheme, and they were the ones who were quite capable of taking care of themselves.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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