Ashwani Kumar seeks financial package for flood-hit Punjab, Chouhan's visit shouldn't be PR exercise

New Delhi, Sep 5 (PTI) Former Union minister Ashwani Kumar on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grant a special financial package for flood-hit Punjab without any delays and said that he hoped that Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's visit to the state would help provide immediate relief to the state's farmers.

Kumar said Chouhan's visit to Punjab to survey the devastation caused by unprecedented floods must bring immediate relief to farmers and people in distress.

"It should not remain a public relations exercise for political gains. This is the time for political parties to shed partisan politics for political gains and to stand together with the people in distress," he said in a statement.

The former law minister said in view of the magnitude of the tragedy and limited resources of the state government, the Centre must "magnanimously" open its purse strings to assist the state.

"The central government should assist in the rebuilding of the state’s infrastructure, including its disaster management capabilities, and extending debt relief to the farming community.

"I would appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grant a special financial package to Punjab, without procedural delays. The central government is requested to grant an additional special assistance package for the floods affected border districts of the state to subserve national security interests," Kumar said.

The death toll in the devastating floods in Punjab rose to 43 on Thursday, while crops on 1.71 lakh hectares of land were damaged and over 3.5 lakh people are estimated to be affected.

Punjab is facing one of the most devastating floods with more than 1,900 villages in 23 districts inundated. PTI SKC SKC SKY SKY