Punjab flood: Mann questions Centre’s Rs 1,600 crore aid
New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has said the state’s initial estimate of damages from the recent floods stands at around Rs 13,800 crore and warned the final figure could be higher. Speaking to NDTV on Friday, Mann questioned the central government’s announcement of Rs 1,600 crore in assistance, calling it inadequate.
“What will happen with Rs 1,600 crore? The initial loss is Rs 13,800 crore. Rs 1,600 crore is just a drop in the ocean,” Mann said. He also pointed out that the Centre had withheld around Rs 8,000 crore meant for the Rural Development Fund (RDF), which is collected through a three per cent cess on agricultural produce and used for maintaining rural roads and wholesale markets.
The Chief Minister rejected criticism from the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Punjab was sitting on Rs 12,000 crore in its State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) account. According to Mann, the actual balance is under Rs 2,000 crore.
“The SDRF account was created in 2010-11. Since then, we have received about Rs 5,012 crore and spent Rs 3,820 crore. Only around Rs 1,200 crore remains. Where did this Rs 12,000 crore figure come from? The BJP simply added a zero,” Mann said, while citing yearly debit and credit figures. He further alleged that Punjab had not received its rightful share of Goods and Services Tax revenue, amounting to nearly Rs 50,000 crore. “Just give us this. No need for any ‘special package’. We will manage our relief operations from this amount,” he added.
Punjab has been reeling under the worst floods in decades, triggered by overflowing Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers, along with heavy rainfall in catchment areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Intense downpours within Punjab itself worsened the situation.
According to Revenue Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian, more than 2,000 villages and nearly four lakh residents have been affected. At least 55 people have died, and officials fear outbreaks of water-borne diseases. Crops over 1.93 lakh hectares have also been damaged.
Relief efforts are ongoing, with 14 Army columns, eight National Disaster Response Force teams, two State Disaster Response Force units, and two Engineer Task Force teams deployed across the state. Prime Minister Modi, after conducting an aerial survey and visiting Gurdaspur district last week, announced Rs 1,600 crore in assistance. However, Mann reiterated Punjab’s demand for at least Rs 20,000 crore in relief.
