Patiala, May 12
The Farmers under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha on Tuesday staged protests outside government cooperative banks across Punjab, demanding an increase in crop loan limits and relief for farmers declared as defaulters by cooperative societies.
In Patiala, a large number of farmers gathered outside the Government Cooperative Bank’s head office and held a sit-in protest. Representatives of several farmer organisations joined the demonstration and raised slogans against the Punjab government over what they termed as the failure to implement promises made in the state budget.
Addressing the gathering, farmer leaders said the Punjab government had announced an increase in the crop loan limit for farmers in this year’s budget, but the revised limits have not yet been implemented on the ground.
They said cooperative banks and societies play a crucial role in the agricultural sector, as farmers depend on them not only for crop loans but also for fertilisers, DAP, and other essential farming inputs.
The protesting leaders alleged that during previous governments, many farmers were declared defaulters after repeated announcements of loan waivers, leaving them unable to access fresh credit facilities or purchase goods through cooperative societies.
Farmer leaders urged the government to strengthen and revive cooperative societies so that farmers are not forced to rely on private banks, which they claimed exploit farmers through higher financial burdens.
The protesters also demanded that government banks introduce a One-Time Settlement (OTS) policy on the lines of private banks to help defaulting farmers clear their pending dues through lump-sum payments and restore their membership rights in cooperative societies.
Farmer leaders Gurdhiyan Singh and Balkar Singh Bains also addressed the gathering during the protest.
