Farmers Burdened by Anti-Agricultural Policies, Criticizes Sunil Jakhar of Bhagwant Mann Government

Jalandhar, October 31 (Daily Kiran) : Sunil Jakhar, former president of the BJP in Punjab, has sharply criticized Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s government for imposing heavy burdens on farmers through cooperative bank loan regulations. Speaking to reporters in Jalandhar, Jakhar highlighted the recent protests by farmer unions in Chandigarh, where they demanded various agricultural reforms, including issues related to agricultural loans.

During these protests, the Punjab Agriculture Minister assured on September 7 that a one-time settlement scheme for agricultural loans from cooperative banks would be introduced in the Assembly. However, Jakhar noted that the last Assembly session has passed without any action on this promise.

In June, Chief Minister Mann announced an increase in the loan limit for the Kisan Credit Card scheme and proposed new lending policies for various crops. Yet, Jakhar pointed out that contrary to these claims, no new accounts for farmers have been opened in cooperative banks, nor has the loan limit been raised. Additionally, 11 district land mortgage banks have been inactive for five months, leaving both farmers and staff protesting outside.

Jakhar emphasized that the Mann government has not only increased the economic burden on farmers through significant changes in loan regulations but has also made the process of obtaining loans from cooperative banks excessively complicated. Previously, farmers borrowing up to one lakh rupees needed to deposit ₹3,300 as a share, while for loans of two lakh rupees, the deposit was ₹5,000. The new rules have raised these requirements to ₹6,000 for one lakh and ₹9,000 for two lakh rupees.

Moreover, he explained that earlier, these share deposits were made to cooperative societies, allowing farmers to easily reclaim their shares when closing accounts. Under the new regulations, these deposits must now be made directly to the banks, making retrieval much more challenging for farmers.

Jakhar also pointed out another unfavorable change: previously, farmers did not need to mortgage their land to secure loans from cooperative banks, but now that has become a requirement. Additionally, the interest rate discount of four percent for farmers with Kisan Credit Cards from other banks has been eliminated under the new rules.

He stated that the government has effectively left cooperative banks without funds, resulting in a lack of money available for lending to farmers. The Chief Minister, who oversees the cooperative department, bears responsibility for this situation.

With the wheat sowing season approaching, farmers need funds for seeds, fertilizers, and diesel. However, they are facing exploitation in the markets while selling rice, and simultaneously struggling to secure loans from cooperative banks for their next crop.

Jakhar expressed that the people of Punjab are deeply dissatisfied with the Bhagwant Mann government, which seems more focused on entertainment than addressing farmers’ issues. He also mentioned the central government’s Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, noting that ₹18,500 crore has already been disbursed to 9.34 crore farmers, totaling ₹4.6 lakh crore since its inception.