Govt to waive off farm debts with or without Centre’s help: Captain

Thursday, 20/04/2017

http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=175858&boxid=59409&uid=&dat=2017-04-20

Chandigarh : The Captain Amarinder Singh-led government in Punjab on Wednesday said that it will find ways and means to clear debts of the states farmers and would soon approach the Centre in this regard.

Chief Minister Singh told a meeting of the state’s Administrative Secretaries that he would soon take up the debt waiver issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had announced a special package for Uttar Pradesh in the run-up to the Assembly elections there.

He, however, made it clear that his government would find ways and means to waive off all farm debts with or without the Centre’s support, said an official spokesman.

Amarinder lauded the efforts of the various government departments in ensuring the smooth procurement of wheat. His government was committed to alleviating the sufferings of the state’s beleaguered peasantry, he added.

The Chief Minister asked the officials to make all-out efforts to introduce comprehensive job creation schemes, including “Apni Gaddi Apna Rozgar”, “Hara Tractor Scheme” and “YAARI Enterprises”.

He also ordered steps to set up Employment Bureaus in all the districts of the state, to be headed by Deputy Commissioners and to function as Enterprise Bureaus to facilitate self-employment and start-ups with a focus on Micro Enterprise.

Amarinder asked the Secretaries to prepare a comprehensive action plan to implement poll promises in their respective departments in right earnest, with special focus on the government’s main programmes such as employment generation, houses for homeless and 30 per cent reservation for women in jobs.

The Chief Minister also asked the officials to ensure rehabilitation of all drug abuse victims within one year through the ‘Navjivan’ rehabilitation campaign.

Disclosing details of the decisions taken during the meeting, an official spokesperson said the CM had reiterated his government’s zero tolerance policy towards corruption and had asked the Secretaries to ensure that all statutory procedures, rules, regulations and laws are followed and all cases are decided on merit.

He directed them to make all the services pertaining to their departments online within a maximum of six months, with the services also made available on mobile apps.

Underlining his government’s anti-drugs focus, the Chief Minister asked the officials to take up the launch of the rehabilitation campaign ‘Navjivan’ in mission mode to rehabilitate all affected persons in one year.

The Departments of Health and family welfare, Social Security, Rural Development, Medical Education, and NGOs will collectively launch the campaign, which will be led by the Deputy Commissioners.

As part of the campaign, rehabilitation centres, namely “Navjivan Centres”, will be set up in each district and will be manned by professionals, to be supported by voluntary organisations.