The Punjab Congress has urged AICC president Sonia Gandhi for an additional Rs 50 bonus on per quintal on paddy. A few days ago, the Center had announced Rs 50 bonus, which has been ridiculed by the Akali government in Punjab. A state unit delegation, led by Punjab president Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Preneet Kaur, Rana Gurjit, Avtar Singh Brar, Tej Prakash, Lal Singh, Parminder Singh Pinky met the Congress president in New Delhi on Monday. In a memorandum, the delegation sought concessions for the lower sections of the society. "The small and medium loans running in thousands of rupees in each case also deserve a waiver, which will cost the state exchequer only a few crore in each state," it said. The memorandum said more than 25,000 lives were lost and equal number of families faced the wrath of terrorism. The UPA government has sanctioned a package for the 1984 riot victims of Delhi, but gave nothing to terrorist victims of Punjab, the delegation said. Pinky and Raj Kumar Verka urged the UPA chairperson to convene a special session of the AICC in Punjab which was last held in 1975.
