Chandigarh: The Punjab cabinet here on Tuesday gave its formal nod to scrap `kurki’, thereby paving the way for far-reaching relief to the debt-burdened farmers of the state.
The Council of Ministers, which met here at Punjab Bhavan under the chairmanship of CM Amarinder Singh, stamped its approval on the government decision to abolish Section 67-A of Punjab Cooperative Societies Act 1961, which provides for `kurki’ (attachment) to recover loans as arrears of land revenue.
The meeting also decided to rename the Department of Agriculture as department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to strengthen focus on issues related to farmers and their welfare. It also decided to change the nomenclature of the Department of irrigation to Department of Water Resources to impart greater focus on issues related to water, its optimal, efficient and sustainable use.
Moreover, an official spokesperson disclosed that it was also decided to form a cabinet sub-committee to review the Agriculture Debt Reconciliation Act 2016 to make it effective and broad- based and farmer-friendly, to promote the welfare of the state’s farmers and create a more enabling environment for agricultural development. The council of ministers felt that the Act, formulated in 2016, was not favourable to farmers and needed a review to make it more impactful.
