Farm loan waiver in Akali Dal manifesto

LUDHIANA: The Shiromani Akali Dal has promised a big bonanza for farmers, Dalits, unemployed and the poor in Punjab, if the party is voted to power for the third time in a row in next month’s assembly election.

Deputy chief minister and party president Sukhbir Singh Badal unveiled SAD’s election manifesto on Tuesday in the industrial town of Ludhiana.

The party, which ruled the state for 10 years in alliance with the BJP, is sticking to the populist measures that helped it return to power in 2012. Notably, it has promised to waive farm loans of small farmers and further increase allocation to welfare programmes like the Atta-Dal scheme.

A cash-strapped Parkash Singh Badal government in 2010 diverted Rs 800 crore from the cash credit limit — a loan from the Centre to procure food grains — to run the Atta-Dal scheme. Some political observers say it was the popularity of this scheme that helped the party keep power after the 2012 election.

SAD has now promised also free twowheelers to all girl students in Class 12 through graduation. The state government had already distributed 1,44,324 cycles to the girls of class XI and XII in 2015-16 at the cost of Rs 39.50 cr.

The party announced that if elected to power, the farm debt of farmers with land holdings up to 2.5 acres would be waived and promised free uninterrupted power to farmers for 10 hours during the day. It has assured to build ‘pucca houses’ for all families belonging to the BPL category.