PM Modi to visit flood-hit Punjab on Sep 9

Chandigarh, Sep 7 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Punjab on September 9 to take stock of the flood situation, BJP state unit chief Sunil Jakhar said on Sunday.

He asserted that Modi is deeply concerned about the flood situation in Punjab and is closely monitoring it.

"He (Modi) is visiting Punjab on September 9 to personally assess the local conditions and understand the ground realities to provide maximum assistance to the people of Punjab," Jakhar said in a post on X.

Earlier, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited Punjab to evaluate the situation in the state.

"Two central government teams, which visited to assess the damage caused by the floods in Punjab, are set to submit their reports to the central government after their tour. The government of India stands firmly with the people of Punjab," Jakhar further said.

Chouhan visited the flood-hit parts of Punjab on September 4 and inspected the extent of crop damage, calling it a situation of 'jal pralai (deluge)'. He assured farmers that the Centre would make every effort to bail them out of this crisis.

The minister visited the flood-hit areas in Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Kapurthala districts.

Punjab is currently facing one of its worst flood disasters in decades.

The swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers and seasonal rivulets have flooded large parts of Punjab following heavy rain in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Besides, heavy rain in Punjab over the past few days has aggravated the flooding.

The death toll due to the floods in Punjab stands at 46 so far, while crops on 1.75 lakh hectares of farmland have been damaged, according to officials. PTI CHS SMV DIV DIV