CM Kissan Card registration begins

LAHORE:Registration of Chief Minister Kissan Card has been launched. Speaking at the launching ceremony here at Agriculture House here on Tuesday, Agriculture Minister Ashiq Hussain Kirmani said Rs400billion Chief Minister’s programme of ‘Transforming Punjab Agriculture’ will be a game changer for agricultural development and farmers' prosperity.

He said under this programme, registration of Chief Minister Punjab Kissan Card has started through which farmers are being provided with interest-free agricultural loan with Rs300 billion. The minister said that over 10,000 applications have been received so far for the registration. He said farmers will be provided interest-free agricultural loans up to Rs30,000 per acre for one crop.

He said the govt will further increase the scope and funding of the card, adding owners of 1 to 12.5 acres of agricultural land will benefit from this scheme. This project has been started in collaboration with the Agriculture Department and Bank of Punjab.

Farmers will be able to purchase agricultural inputs for their crops in time, the minister said and appealed the farmers to pay the card loan within six months, which would enable the availability of interest-free agricultural loan for the next crop as well.

On this occasion, Punjab Agriculture Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo said five lakh farmers will benefit from the Kissan Card. He said that implementation of Kissan Card has started with slogan ‘First Come, First Served’ basis for registration. Through the card, quality fertilizers and seeds will be available to the farmers at fixed prices, he said and added the farmers will not have to visit any office for the issuance of the card and for the convenience of the farmers, they will be able to get the card through SMS alert.