Flood-hit people to get peanuts under SDRF norms, Centre misleading nation: Punjab Minister Arora

Chandigarh, Sep 10 (PTI) Punjab Cabinet Minister Aman Arora on Wednesday accused the Centre of trying to mislead people over the Rs 12,000 crore disaster management fund in the state's kitty, saying it offers "peanuts" to affected people under the present norms.

He also termed the Rs 1,600 crore assistance announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for flood-hit Punjab as "paltry." "The prime minister speaks of Rs 12,000 crore in the SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund) as if it is a blank cheque for the state. This is a deliberate misrepresentation meant to mislead the nation.

"The truth is, these funds are shackled by the Centre's own rules, which offer peanuts to victims who have lost everything," Arora said.

Modi on Tuesday announced a financial assistance of Rs 1,600 crore for flood-hit Punjab in addition to the Rs 12,000 crore already in the state's kitty.

Arora pointed out that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had written to the Centre 10 days ago seeking a revision of the SDRF norms.

Mann, in his letter, cited inadequate compensation for flood victims under the norms -- Rs 4 lakh for life lost, Rs 74,000 for broken limbs, Rs 2,500 for destroyed household essentials, Rs 1.20 lakh for a fully damaged house and Rs 6,500 for a partially damaged 'pucca' house -- while batting for a revision.

"Can Rs 2,500 replace a lifetime of belongings washed away? Is this the value the BJP government places on the life and dignity of a Punjabi?" Arora asked.

Terming the Centre's Rs 1,600 crore package a "mockery" of the state's people, the Punjab Cabinet minister argued the package cannot even cover the compensation for the 4.80 lakh acres of standing crops destroyed by unprecedented floods.

He reminded the BJP-led Central government that the party's Punjab leadership -- Sunil Jakhar, Ravneet Bittu and Ashwani Sharma -- had demanded Rs 50,000 per acre as compensation for crop damage from the Punjab government.

With 4.80 lakh acres affected so far, the total compensation would amount to over Rs 24,000 crore, far surpassing the Central relief package, Arora said while asserting that the loss of life, houses damaged, livestock affected and perished have not been considered either.

Despite the detailed presentation by two Punjab cabinet ministers and senior officers to the prime minister on Tuesday in Gurdaspur, the relief package that has been announced falls short of addressing the state's massive losses, he added.

Notably, CM Mann had written to the Centre that while substantial funds are available in the State Disaster Response Fund, the existing norms prescribed under the Ministry of Home Affairs' guidelines remain grossly inadequate to compensate farmers, livestock owners, and vulnerable communities for the scale of their losses.

Terming the relief package as "inadequate and insulting", Arora stated the state government has demanded Rs 20,000 crore and immediate release of Rs 60,000 crore in "pending" funds.

But the Centre's response to Punjab's plight was "step-motherly", with many questioning the BJP's intentions towards the state, the cabinet minister added. PTI CHS NSD NSD