In an initiative to help the beleaguered farmer community, six people, including four NRIs, donated money through the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the families whose one or more members have committed suicide.
Leader of Opposition Sukhpal Khaira said at a press conference here on Thursday afternoon that the initiative was started by a number of NRIs in the past few days and later some locals also chipped in despite their limited resources.
“Though the Centre and state government can help these families, we can’t depend on them to act. Individuals with a big heart can contribute to the cause,” he said.
He also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to shake the 12 big families of the country who owe most of the bad debt faced by the banks. “Money from these families can help many farmer families.”
Khaira said the AAP is just a facilitator between the donors and recipients and would not open any special bank account for the purpose.
On this occasion, Surjit Singh, father of Australia-based NRI Rashpal Singh, of Charar village near Bhogpur handed over a cheque for Rs 2 lakh to a victim family.
Other donors included Jeet Singh Kular from the US, Dashmesh Singh Pannu of Sidhwan Bet and Manjit Singh Ghuman from the Netherlands.
Khaira also sought a special girdawari for damage to the crops caused by the whitefly attack and floods. He demanded an inquiry into the spurious pesticide scam reported by The Tribune on Thursday.
