09 June 2025: On Saturday, Punjab’s Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema held an important press conference at Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar. Lal Chand Kataruchak and Harbhajan Singh ETO were also present on the occasion. The minister announced that the Punjab government has waived loans worth approximately ₹68 crore for a total of 4,727 people from the Scheduled Castes (SC).
The Finance Minister stated that these loans were taken under government schemes between 1971 and 2020, but due to financial hardships, the beneficiaries were unable to repay them. These included disabled and extremely poor individuals. The government has also provided No Objection Certificates (NOC) to these beneficiaries.
During this period, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann interacted with the beneficiaries to understand their issues.
Harpal Singh Cheema also launched a verbal attack on previous state governments, saying that the Shiromani Akali Dal and Congress governments never took such initiatives. However, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has taken this historic step to provide relief to the poor and marginalized communities.
He clarified that these beneficiaries would also be provided with certificates in the future so that they can apply for fresh loans and become self-reliant.
On the issue of farmers’ loans, the Finance Minister said a decision on farm loan waivers would be taken later. Many demands of farmers are currently pending, and these issues fall under the jurisdiction of the central government. He appealed to the Centre to take the farmers’ demands seriously and resolve them.
Targeting former Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi, he called him a “drama-artist” and said his government had done nothing in this direction.
Minister Baljit Kaur added that Scheduled Caste communities have been socially and economically backward for years. Many of them live below the poverty line and have been trapped in debt for the last 50 years. These individuals couldn’t even pay the interest. But now, this loan waiver decision has given them a chance for a fresh start.
Members of the SC community thanked the government, saying they were struggling to repay loans taken for building their homes. Now, with the loan waiver and certificates provided by the government, they have received significant relief, and their self-confidence has grown stronger.
Summary:
The Punjab government has waived loans totaling around ₹68 crore, benefiting 4,727 individuals from the Scheduled Caste category in a major welfare move.