Inquiry ordered into names of Akalis’ kin on debt-waiver list
Monday, 04/02/2019
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FARIDKOT:A day after it came into public domain that the district administration’s list of farmers whose loans were waived included names of relatives of Akali leaders as well, the extension of the benefit to them has been put on hold. An inquiry has also been ordered to look into how their names were included on the list. The scheme is meant for farmers owing less than five acre.
Manjit Kaur Brar, mother of former MLA and SAD district president Mantar Brar, would have got a loan waiver of ₹89,000. SGPC member Makhan Singh Nangal’s loan of ₹1.67 lakh was also scheduled to get waiver. Another SGPC member Sher Singh Mandwala’s wife, Javir Kaur, would have got a benefit of ₹1.53 lakh. There were other names on the list as well. All of these leaders did not turn up for the loan waiver function, where Faridkot Congress MLA Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon distributed loan waiver certificates of ₹31.6 crore to 5,000-odd farmers on Saturday. Some of them have claimed not to know that their names were on the list.
Faridkot deputy registrar of co-operative societies Sukhpal Singh Gill said, “We will check how Akali leaders’ loan were waived . Under the rules, after an individual’s name is included on the list , they have to submit an affidavit that they don’t pay tax, are not getting pension or salary from government and owns less than five acres of land.”
