Names not on beneficiary lists, Malwa farmers cry favouritism in loan waiver

ROW Will show black flags to CM in Mansa, declares BKU

FARIDKOT/BARNALA/BATHINDA: Small and marginal farmers on Wednesday staged protests in Faridkot, Barnala and Bathinda districts besides other places after their names were found missing from the eligibility list for loan waiver, accusing the administration of favouritism.

In Faridkot, farmers from several villages of Sadiq block, who own less than 5 acres of land, said they were shocked not to see their names in the lists posted by the administration in their villages for social audit.

Farmers of Ramiana village of Jaitu alleged favouritism after the names of co-operative society secretary Pirthipal Singh and his nephew were included in the loan waiver list. They staged a protest and locked the society office.

Jaitu SDM Mandeep Kaur said the list has been put on hold. She directed the naib tehsildar to visit the village to check the objections.

They said the officials who prepared the list were hand in glove with big farmers whose names were included in the loan waiver list. They said some big farmers, who own land at more than one place, are getting loan waiver by hiding their land records in connivance with the officials.

The names of nine small farmers from Rupainwala village were not in the list. Faridkot subdivisional magistrate (SDM) Gurjit Singh said the government has issued guidelines to make people aware that loan of the remaining farmers will be waived off in the next phase.

In Barnala, the farmers staged a dharna in the district administrative complex, saying while

names of those owning over 5 acres were included, small and marginal farmers were left out. Deputy commissioner Ghanshyam Thori said, “We will recheck the claims of farmers and if any patwari is found to have deliberately included names of ineligible beneficiaries we shall charge-sheet them.”

In Bathinda, farmers under the banner of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU Ekta Ugrahan) staged a protest at the agriculture cooperative society office.

A delegation of farmers from Nathpura and Burj Dalla villages met deputy commissioner Diprava Lakra alleging that eligible farmers have been knocked out of the list.

With chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh going to launch the debt-waiver scheme in Mansa by distributing certificates to eligible farmers on Monday, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) is planning to hold a protest to highlight the anomalies in the list of beneficiaries prepared by the district administration.

The union members have also decided to show black flags to the CM during his visit to Mansa.

The union’s district president Ram Singh Bhaini Bagha said that the CM has gone back on his poll promise of full debt waiver to farmers.