Harpal Singh Cheema’s statement came after arrest warrants were issued by cooperative banks to farmers defaulting on loans and farmer unions threatening an agitation against the state government
Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Friday directed cooperative banks not to issue arrest warrants against any farmer for non-payment of loan.
Cheema ordered an immediate stop to issuance of warrants against loan defaulter farmers.
“No warrant will be issued against any farmer for non-payment of loan. All warrants have been withdrawn with immediate effect and no farmer will be arrested,” he said in a video recording and added that the government will bring a policy to make agriculture profitable so that farmers are not in debt.
The finance minister’s statement came after arrest warrants were issued by cooperative banks to farmers for defaulting on their loans.
A section of farmer unions has threatened to start a stir against the state government if any farmer is arrested for defaulting on their loans.
Blaming the previous regime for the arrest warrants, Cheema claimed that the Congress government had promised to waive the loans of farmers and then also announced in December 2021 to do it for all farmers irrespective of their land holdings. “They did not keep this promise. Instead, they issued arrest warrants against farmers before leaving the government,” he alleged.
