CHANDIGARH: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded from the Union government and the Punjab government to waive the debts of the traders as all trades had come to a standstill due to the lockdown following the Covid-19 pandemic. In a joint statement on Wednesday,
AAP MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan and party’s state Trade Wing president Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar said that since last year, due to Covid, the government had imposed lockdowns from time to time, which had brought business to a standstill in the state. They said that due to lockdown, where huge economic losses were caused to the traders; the livelihood of the laborers had also come to a standstill.
The leaders said that it was the responsibility of every government to help its citizens in times of distress, so the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government and Captain Amarinder Singh government in Punjab should provide financial assistance to the business fraternity. They demanded that the Union government and the state government should provide tax relief to the traders as well as waive off the loans taken by the traders. “The economic situation of the migrant workers in Punjab has been badly affected during the lockdown, due to which the life of the workers has become difficult, ” they added.
The AAP leaders further said that due to these hard times, these workers were leaving Punjab for their home states. They said that the government should provide ration, water and other basic facilities to these migrant workers so that the migration of the workers can be stopped. They said that the Delhi’s Arvind Kejriwal government has provided free electricity and water as well as financial assistance to the people living in Delhi. “The Captain government of Punjab must also provide financial assistance to the people of the state and the migrant workers on the lines of the Delhi government, ” said the leaders.