The district committee of the Bharati Kisan Union (Kadian) held a protest outside Ludhiana Central Cooperative Bank Limited on Tuesday. The farmers also submitted a memorandum in the name of the Punjab CM to the district manager of the cooperative society.
Hardeep Singh, president of the union, said the protest was organised to demand an increase in the loan limit per acre for farmers associated with cooperative societies. “Keeping inflation in mind, the increase that was initially offered marked a commendable initiative, but its withdrawal after a short stint was an unfortunate development for farmers. Therefore, our union demands that the increase be implemented immediately and farmers’ transactions with cooperative societies and banks be resumed,” said Singh.
Additionally, Singh said the cooperative societies’ forcible imposition of unnecessary items like nano-urea along with fertilisers while collecting food from farmers must be halted immediately. “Immediate relief should be provided to farmers associated with Primary Agricultural Development Banks and those who have been in default for a long time by providing one-time settlement facility along the lines of commercial banks. We hope the authorities will implement the above-mentioned farmers’ demands without delay else the union will intensify its agitation,” added Singh.
