Chandigarh: Ahead of Assembly elections in the State, Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala today (Aug 15, 2004) announced Independence Day gifts for farmers by waiving land revenue tax, reducing power tariff and extending free travel in Government buses for widows of martyrs, cancer patients and national award winners.

Announcing the incentives at the Independence Day celebrations in Hisar, Chautala said the decision to waive the 'Abiana' (land revenue tax) for the farmers would benefit the community to the tune of Rs 30 crores.

He also said the four-slab system of power tariff would be replaced with a single slab, so that farmers with "un-metered tubewell connections" would have to pay lesser tariff.

Acknowledging the role that the labour sector played a crucial role in the functioning of the State, Chautala said his Government had decided to enhance the ceiling of monthly income for beneficiaries of the 12 schemes being implemented by Haryana Shram Kalyan Board. Announcing special privileges for widows of martyrs, Chautala said that they could avail of free travel facility in State roadways. The same would hold true for cancer patients and national award winners.