LAHORE   -  Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif Tuesday announced that delivery of 40,000 Kisan cards to farmers through 136 agriculture centers in the province has been started enabling them to get loans from Rs 30,000 per acre to Rs 1.5 lac to buy agricultural inputs. “We are introducing Kissan Cards, Agricultural Mall Pilot Project, Green Tractor Scheme, Agriculture Graduates Internship and Tube Well Solarization Projects for the development of agriculture and socio-economic uplift of farmers in Punjab,” said the chief minister while chairing a review meeting of the agriculture department to discuss progress on CM Initiatives for the uplift of agriculture sector in the province.  Maryam Nawaz stated farmers can get Kissan cards from agricultural centers in the agriculture office in each tehsil. They will be able to use these cards to buy agricultural inputs for wheat crop after 15 October. She highlighted that 0.5 million farmers will benefit from the Kisan card scheme.  A farmer will be able to get a loan from Rs 30,000 per acre to Rs 1.5 lakh through Kisan Card, she added. The CM said that an agricultural mall pilot project will be started in Okara, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal and Sargodha. “Seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, agricultural goods, counseling, loans and other facilities will be available at these Malls”.  The chief minister also approved Fresh Agriculture Graduates Internship Program, under which training of 1000 agriculture graduates will start across Punjab from next week. “These agriculture graduates will access the farmers through geomapping, and will advise them in the field on how to get a good harvest”, she said. The CM said that as many as 10,000 tractors will be given in a year under CM Green Tractor Scheme. “The Punjab government will give a subsidy of Rs 10 lakh on each tractor,” she said, adding that farmers will be able to apply after the launch of the scheme on 20th September. Maryam Nawaz said that the agricultural tubewell solarization project is in the final stages, and will start soon. The Punjab government, she said, will pay 50 percent  on solarization of electric and diesel tube wells.