BKU faction continues indefinite protest at PADB branches

Bathinda: The indefinite protest by farm organisation BKU Ekta Sidhupur at the branches of Punjab State Cooperative Agricultural Development Bank (PADB) in various districts continued for the sixth day on Saturday. The farm organisation is against the policy of banks retaining blank cheques from farmers upon advancing loans and presenting these cheques in banks upon farmers failing to timely repay the loan amounts, leading to litigations.The organisation had started the protest on May 11. BKU Ekta Sidhupur general secretary Kaka Singh Kotda and senior leader Resham Singh Yatra said that banks need to shun this practice, as it is used to harass farmers who fail to repay on time. They cited the example of two brothers, Jaskaran Singh and Jaswinder Singh, who died by suicide due financial hardship caused by such practices. "The brothers paid some of the loan amount, but as they failed to repay the entire loan, they feared action from the bank," said one activist. MSID: 131135643 413 |