Cong hails direct relief for farmers

The state Congress on Sunday hailed the decision of the Union Agriculture Ministry to provide direct relief to farmers hit by the drought in Punjab.

Reacting to the announcement made by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar in Chandigarh that relief payments will be made directly through the farmers Kisan Credit cards and bank accounts,state Congress general secretary Arvind Khanna said: “This is a welcome step and will throw the middlemen out. SAD was opposed to it,the demand was raised by Congress MPs.”

Taking a dig at SAD,Khanna said: “It was surprising that a party claiming to be pro-farmer could oppose something that was purely in farmers’ interest.”