DW BUREAU / chandigarh The balance amount of Rs 45 crore due towards the cane growers by the Cooperative Sugar Mills, was released today which has brought the total payment for the year 2020-21 to Rs 463.95 crore out of Rs 472.10 crore. The amount released would be credited into the accounts of the cane growers today itself. The rest Rs 8.15 crore is pending towards the Government of India. Disclosing this here today, Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said that with the release of payment, the State Government has fulfilled the promise made to the cane growers on the directions of the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh by the first week of September. He further said that the State Government had made a budgetary provision of Rs 300 crore for the year 2021-22 for complete payment of the balance amount. Divulging more, Randhawa said that in a big bonanza for the cane growers, the Punjab Government has announced a record increase of Rs 360 per quintal in the prices of sugarcane whereas the Government of India has increased the per quintal price of sugarcane by a mere Rs 5. Similarly, the amount of cane growers due towards the Cooperative Sugar Mills, has also been paid on priority basis. The Minister also said that the 9 cooperative sugar mills of the State have already paid due amount for the year 2019-20 pertaining to Rs 486.24 crore. and Rs 463.95 crore have been paid out of total Rs 472.10 crore for the year 2020-21. The balance amount of Rs 8.15 crore is to be released by the Central Government as export subsidy and buffer stock subsidy of the cooperative sugar mills for the year 2019-20. The matter is being taken up emphatically with the Central Government. The cooperative sugar mills credit the sugar export subsidy as well as the buffer stock subsidy directly into the accounts of the cane growers in accordance with the directions of the Central Government. The balance amount of Rs 8.15 crore would also be directly credited into the account of the cane growers, when released. Meanwhile, the Punjab Government has given a big relief to the backward classes and economically weaker sections by waiving the debt of 4702 debtors to the tune of Rs 20.98 crore. It is disclosed by Social Justice, Empowerment & Minorities Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot. Dharamsot said that Punjab Backward Classes Land Development and Finance Corporation (Backfinco), out of the loan given upto 31 March 2021 was providing loan relief of up to Rs 50,000 to the economically weaker sections, backward classes and minorities. Dharamsot said that 222 youth from Amritsar, 102 from Barnala, 260 from Bathinda, 317 from Faridkot, 206 from Fatehgarh Sahib, 156 from Fazilka, 249 from Ferozepur, 267 from Gurdaspur and Pathankot, 90 from Hoshiarpur, 125 from Jalandhar and 206 from Kapurthala. 347 of Ludhiana, 101 of Moga, 226 of Sri Muktsar Sahib, 325 of Mansa, 122 of SBS Nagar, 538 of Patiala , 212 of Rupnagar , 147 of SAS Nagar, 186 of Sangrur and 298 of Tarn Taran have been provided debt relief. The Minister for Social Justice said that the Punjab government had set up Backfinco in the year 1976 with a view to uplift the economic status of the backward classes and economically weaker sections of the state. Low interest rate loans are provided for self-employment of youth belonging to the Sikh, Muslim, Christian, Parsi, Buddhist and Jain communities.It is worth mentioning that Backfinko is providing loans under self-employment schemes to help the backward classes and the economically weaker sections to become self-reliant. Sometimes it is not possible to recover these loans due to the absence of any other earner in the household, after the death of the beneficiary no other member in the family who can earn or being a victim of any natural calamity. Due to this, the income of the borrowers has gone down due to the adverse impact on their business. (editor@dailyworld.in)