The Punjab Government launched the loan waiver scheme for landless farmers and labourers on Friday under which 14,597 farmers of Kapurthala district will get the benefit worth around Rs 26.99 crore. After taking part virtually in a state-level function at Roopnagar, Deputy Commissioner, Kapurthala, Deepti Uppal; officials of the Cooperative Department; Anup Kalhan, chairman, district planning board, Kapurthala; Rajinder Kaura, vice chairman, market committee; Manoj Bhasin, chairman, Kapurthala Improvement Trust; block Congress president Amarjeet Singh and block samiti member Gurdeep Singh distributed loan waiver certificates to the beneficiaries from all four assembly constituencies. Addressing farmers, the Deputy Commissioner said from Kapurthala Assembly constituency, 2,823 farmers will get loan waiver of Rs 5.33 crore whereas in Bholath 4,018 farmers will get benefit up to Rs 7.16 crore. Besides that, 5,884 farmers from Sultanpur Lodhi will receive benefit of Rs 10.65 crore and 1,872 farmers from Phagwara will get benefit of 3.85 crore. Prominent amongst present at the occasion were Sukha Singh, deputy registrar; Gulzar Singh, district manager; Neeraj Kumar, DDPO, Baljinder Singh, Harpreet Kumar and Seema Rani, all assistant registrars.

Avail RTI, NRI services at suvidha kendras now

In a bid to widen the ambit of government services amid the pandemic, RTI and NRI-related services have been linked with suvidha kendras. Apart from these services, on-the-spot birth and death certificate issuance schemes (for birth and deaths at private hospitals) were also started from suvidha kendras. Kapurthala Deputy Commissioner Deepti Uppal made this declaration here adding that as many as 20 suvidha kendras were being run in Kapurthala at present. At the kendras, over 332 services are being provided to the people. She said with NRI-related services being linked to suvidha kendras, NRIs do not need to go to Chandigarh now. They can deposit their documents at the local suvidha kendras and won’t have to make that extra trip. She said the RTI portal — www.rti.punjab.gov.in — was also being started to implement the Right to Information more effectively. She said now anyone seeking information will only have to apply via online portal and the information would reach them.

Kavi darbar in memory of Charan Seechewal

A special kavi darbar (poetry event) will be held at Nirmal Kutiyan on the banks of Kali Bein at Sultanpur Lodhi in the memory of acclaimed Punjabi poet Charan Seechewal, who recently died due to a heart attack. Charan Seechewal, a retired Air Force officer, had penned over a dozen books. The books written by him include Chupp Di Awaaz, Kaveri, Loel Di Kuhoo, Ghuggi Da Virlap, Sacche Paatshah among others. He also penned many children books. He has played a special role in Punjabi literature. The event to be held on August 22 from 10 am to 2 pm shall commemorate his literary legacy while paying tributes to him. TNS