Punjab polls: SSM promises Rs 25,000 monthly income, interest-free loan to farmers

The Sanyukt Samaj Morcha on Tuesday released its manifesto for the Punjab Assembly elections, promising to ensure Rs 25,000 monthly income and interest-free loan for farmers.

The Morcha also promised to set up a commission to probe corruption by bureaucrats and politicians if it comes to power in Punjab in the February 20 Assembly polls.

The Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM) is a political front of 22 farmer unions, who were part of the agitation against the Centre’s farm laws.

Addressing the media, SSM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said their Morcha will strive to ensure an income of Rs 25,000 per month for a farmer’s family.

He promised to constitute a “save farmers commission” to devise measures for their economic betterment.

To make farming a viable profession and diversification of cropping patterns, a minimum support price will be ensured for all crops, vegetables and fruits, he said.

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The government will intervene and compensate farmers for the loss incurred by them due to lower market prices than the minimum support price, said the leader.

Self-help groups in villages and rural cooperative societies will be encouraged and financial help of Rs 5 lakh on two per cent interest rate will be extended to open small food processing units and other enterprises in the rural areas, the manifesto said.

Network of village cooperative societies will be strengthened and made the hub of farming activities with least official intervention in their functioning, according to the manifesto.

The SSM will provide Rs 3 lakh interest-free loan to farmers on recurrent basis through the cooperative societies, it said.

“We will ask the union government to open Hussainiwala and Attari-Wagah borders to facilitate the trade of Punjab's farm produce in Pakistan and further to Central Asia,” it said.

The SSM promised that an accountability commission will be constituted to investigate corruption by politicians and bureaucrats.

It also promised that efforts will be made to for the annulment of the UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention Act ), the Sedition Act and other “black laws”.

It also promised that the power purchase agreements with private companies, which caused a “heavy loss” to the state exchequer, will be cancelled and the state power regulatory commission will be strengthened to generate, procure and distribute cheaper power to people and the industry.

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Highways in Punjab will be made toll-free as the investor companies should create alternate business measures to recover their investments, as per the manifesto.

It also promised to end alleged mafias in transport, liquor, narcotics, sand mining and in other sectors.

It further said the Punjab assembly should meet for at least 90 days in a year with legislators being given only one pension and their luxury cars and excessive emoluments are withdrawn.

It promised that the small and labour-intensive enterprises would be promoted to create more job opportunities while discouraging the big and capital-intensive industry and businesses.

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