Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has strongly criticized the central government’s flood relief package of ₹1,600 crore, calling it inadequate compared to the state’s damage assessment of nearly ₹13,800 crore.
Punjab’s Flood Losses Run Into Thousands of Crores
In an interview with NDTV, Mann said the actual losses are far greater than ₹13,800 crore, and the final figure will be much higher once full assessments are completed.
“What will we do with ₹1,600 crore? The damage is massive. This is just a drop in the ocean,” the Chief Minister said.
Centre’s SDRF Claim Sparks Controversy
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently announced that Punjab could also use ₹12,000 crore lying in its State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) account. Mann dismissed this claim, stating the actual balance is less than ₹2,000 crore.
He presented data since 2010 to show that Punjab has received ₹5,012 crore in total and spent ₹3,820 crore on disaster management.
“The BJP just added an extra zero. The balance is about ₹1,200 crore, not ₹12,000 crore,” Mann alleged.
Withheld Funds and Revenue Claims
The Punjab CM further accused the Centre of:
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Withholding ₹8,000 crore from the state’s Rural Development Fund (RDF), which is used to maintain roads and farmers’ markets.
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Not releasing ₹50,000 crore as Punjab’s share of GST revenue.
“If they simply release our rightful GST share, we won’t need any special package. We can handle relief work ourselves,” he said.
Floods Devastate Punjab
Punjab is facing its worst floods in decades, caused by overflowing rivers Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi, along with heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab itself.
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55 lives lost so far
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Over 2,000 villages affected
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4 lakh people displaced
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1.93 lakh hectares of crops destroyed
Relief work is ongoing with the deployment of 14 Army columns, 8 NDRF teams, 2 SDRF teams, and 2 Engineer Task Force teams.
Relief Demand Before PM Modi’s Visit
Ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Gurdaspur, the Punjab government demanded a special relief package of at least ₹20,000 crore. However, the central government sanctioned only ₹1,600 crore, triggering Mann’s sharp response.
