The AAP government in Punjab demanded a special bailout package for farmers to assist them overcome crushing debt, boost crop diversification.
The Aam Aadmi Party's freebie culture appears to be catching up with the party, as its administration in Punjab sought a special package from the Centre to bail out debt-ridden farmers, only weeks after announcing free electricity to households in the state.
On Saturday, the AAP government in Punjab demanded a special bailout package for farmers to assist them overcome crushing debt, boost crop diversification, and put an end to stubble burning.
The AAP's chief spokesperson, Malvinder Singh Kang, said the request for the special package was made by state Agriculture Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal in consultation with Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar. The two met at a national summit of state agricultural and horticulture ministers in Bengaluru, Kang said.
The AAP spokesperson further added that Dhaliwal had demanded Rs 15,000 per acre per year compensation for the farmers of the border areas to alleviate their financial woes. Kang said the farmers in border areas could tend to their farms only between 10 am to 4 pm.
Kang claimed that Punjab has been feeding the country and that it is the obligation of the central government in New Delhi to offer financial assistance to farmers to enable them pay off their debts.
The request for a special package came only days after the AAP government in Punjab announced 300 units of free electricity for households beginning July 1, the establishment of 117 Mohalla Clinics, and the designation of 100 institutions in the state as "schools of eminence."
The state finance minister said the government would fulfill its promise of providing 300 units of free electricity per month to each household beginning July 1 by cutting wasteful expenditure and increasing own tax revenue.
Earlier this year, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann met with PM Modi and requested Rs 50,000 crore in financial aid from the Centre for the next two years, claiming the state's financial health is dire. Mann informed the Prime Minister of the state's financial situation and informed him of a debt of Rs 3 lakh crores.
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