Latest news with #KissanCards
Business Recorder
10-07-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
CM holds meeting on agri sector: Farmers to get loans worth Rs100bn through Kissan Cards
LAHORE: While according in-principle approval for the Phase-II launching of the projects of the Agriculture department, Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif also sought a plan for providing agricultural inputs to the wheat farmers at subsidized rates. The farmers will be given loans worth Rs 100 billion through 628,000 Kissan Cards in Phase-II. The Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif presided over a special meeting regarding the Agriculture Department which approved CM Special Projects Phase-II. Under the Agriculture Transformation Programme, 500 mini dams and 250 water reservoir projects were reviewed in Pothohar. It was agreed to provide interest-free loans worth Rs 100 billion under Kissan Card Phase-II. A detailed briefing was given on Green Tractor, Model Agriculture, Tube Well Solarization, Wheat Programme, Super Seeder, Citrus, Pothohar, Agri-Transformation and other issues. The chief minister underscored that wheat farmers will not be left alone, a new project will be launched before the crop is harvested. The meeting reviewed proposals for advance subsidy to reduce the input cost of wheat. Farmers owning up to 25 acres of land will be able to get diesel, fertilizer, seeds and agricultural chemicals through Kissan Card. On the direction of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the processing fee of Rs 1,000 has been abolished in Kissan Card Phase-II Project. The registration of 4,200 agricultural suppliers for Kissan Card Phase-II has been completed. The target of 99 percent loan recovery from farmers in Kissan Card Phase-I has been achieved. Under the Green Tractor Programme Phase-II, 20,000 tractors will be available on subsidy. The government will pay a subsidy of Rs 500,000 for 50 to 65 horsepower and Rs 1 million for 75 to 125 horsepower. The collection of applications for the Green Tractor Scheme will start in August. The manufacturing and distribution of green tractors will be completed in September. The chief minister directed continuous monitoring to ensure the presence of green tractors in the field. The CM Model Agriculture Mall Phase-II will be launched in 10 districts from July. Model Agriculture Malls will be built in Faisalabad, Jhang, Okara, Khanewal, Rajanpur, Vehari, Rahim Yar Khan, Sheikhupura, Attock and Mianwali. The CM directed to make Model Agriculture Malls functional in Multan, Sargodha, Bahawalpur and Sahiwal in July. It was informed in the meeting that under the Agri Internship Programme in Punjab, 1000 agricultural graduates have assisted two million farmers. Under the Agri Internship Programme Phase-II, training of 2000 agri interns will start in September and field service in October. CM Solarization of Agriculture Tube Wells received 7988 applications and 500 applications were rejected after physical verification was found to be fraudulent. Solarization of 7670 agri tube wells has been started and solarization of 652 tube wells has been completed. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
16-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
SARC calls on Sindh govt to address farmers' issues
Programme will also focus on the reorientation of agriculture research for development of better crop varieties in terms of yield and pest resistance. PHOTO: FILE Listen to article The Sindh Agriculture Research Council (SARC), representing small farmers and peasants, has welcomed initiatives taken by the Sindh Government under Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. However, it has also raised urgent concerns regarding the challenges faced by small growers, calling for immediate government intervention, according to a press statement released on Saturday. SARC stressed the need for subsidies on solar tube wells and agricultural tools for small growers holding 10-25 acres of land. The statement highlighted that these farmers are often excluded from such benefits due to favouritism, political affiliations, or lack of access to agricultural officials. While appreciating the government's initiative of issuing Kissan Cards to farmers, SARC expressed serious concern over the lack of a proper farmer census. Without accurate data, it warned, identifying beneficiaries for the Kissan Card would be problematic. SARC urged the Sindh government to address this issue, citing a landmark Sindh High Court judgment in PLD 202 Sindh 284 (Ghulam Ali vs Province of Sindh and others). The judgment directed the government to conduct a farmer census, provide health insurance, housing rights, freedom from bonded labour, and tenancy rights protection. However, the Sindh government has challenged this ruling in the Supreme Court instead of implementing it. SARC criticised the delay in withdrawing the appeal against the high court ruling, stating that this has stalled the implementation of the Sindh Tenancy Act 1950 and its amendments. Farmers and peasants have repeatedly appealed for the withdrawal of this challenge, but their requests remain unanswered. SARC stressed that if the government drops its appeal, it would be seen as a pro-farmer move, earning appreciation from civil society and benefiting the agricultural sector. The statement also noted that in October 2019, the Sindh High Court struck down Section 6 of the Sindh Tenancy (Amendment) Act 2013, which removed the prohibition of beggar (unpaid labour). Instead of enforcing this pro-peasant ruling, the Sindh government continues to contest it. SARC also raised concerns about non-compliance with minimum wage laws, severe water shortages affecting small growers, ineffective vigilance committees monitoring bonded labour, and the lack of implementation of the Sindh Agriculture Women Workers Act 2019. It pointed out that Form 6, a document protecting the rights of haris (tenant farmers), is no longer available in revenue offices, with staff claiming it is no longer published. The statement further criticised the vigilance committees, noting that not a single case of bonded labour has been identified by them in two decades. All peasant releases have been secured through court orders under Section 491 of the CrPC or Article 199 of the Constitution.
