Punjab floods: State ministers term PM's Rs 1,600 crore relief 'cruel joke'

Chandigarh, Sep 9 (PTI) Ministers of the AAP government in Punjab lashed out at the Centre over the Rs 1,600 crore assistance announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the flood-hit state, terming it a "cruel joke" and an "insult" for the people.

Besides the Rs 1,600 crore aid, the prime minister, who conducted an aerial survey of the devastation caused by the worst deluge in the state since 1988, also announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the seriously injured.

Ahead of Modi's visit, the AAP government had demanded a relief package of at least Rs 20,000 crore for the state.

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema termed the Rs 1,600 crore financial assistance a "cruel joke", while his Cabinet colleague and AAP's state president Aman Arora said the amount was "paltry and insulting" for a state staring at losses exceeding Rs 20,000 crore.

"The prime minister's visit was nothing more than a photo-op. After weeks of our state battling an unprecedented natural calamity, the prime minister finally responded with an aid package that is a pittance. "The losses incurred by our farmers, labourers, poor people, businesses, and infrastructure run into tens of thousands of crores, and the Union government has the audacity to offer a paltry sum of Rs 1,600 crore," Cheema said.

Mentioning the immense suffering of the poor people whose houses were destroyed and the loss being faced by the labourers, the state finance minister said many of these people are living under the open sky, and labourers have not earned a penny.

He said the state government has already announced compensation of Rs 20,000 per acre for farmers and Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of those who lost their lives.

"We are doing everything in our power to provide relief, but the scale of the disaster is such that it requires substantial and immediate support from the Centre. The prime minister's announcement is a grave injustice to the people of Punjab," Cheema said, slamming the Centre for its "apathy" towards the state.

He reiterated Punjab's long-standing demand for the release of "pending" funds from the Centre, including the GST compensation and other dues, which he said amount to over Rs 60,000 crore.

"The prime minister has not even responded to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's letter seeking the release of these funds. Instead of providing the necessary support, the Centre is politicising a humanitarian crisis," Cheema said and demanded that the Centre reassess the situation and announce a comprehensive and adequate financial package.

"The people of Punjab have stood by the nation in every crisis. Now, in our time of need, we expect the Union government to stand by us." Cabinet minister Arora accused the prime minister of dealing a "cruel joke" on the people of Punjab, instead of a "meaningful response" they had hoped for.

"The Prime Minister came, saw, and offered a pittance," he said. "While our farmers stand amid the ruins of their lives, their homes, their crops, their livestock washed away, the Centre's response is not just inadequate, it is a blatant insult. Rs 1,600 crore is a slap in the face of every citizen who has lost everything." "The soul of Punjab, our agriculture, has been shattered. Crops have been wiped out just 15-20 days before harvesting. There is no chance of resowing. Our farmers have lost an entire season's income," Arora highlighted.

He underlined that a total of 4.80 lakh acres of agricultural land has been affected, and the worst-hit is paddy, with over 3.71 lakh acres completely submerged.

The floods, the worst since 1988, have claimed 52 lives and directly affected nearly 4 lakh people across more than 2,000 villages.

Cabinet Ministers Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, Hardeep Singh Mundian, Harbhajan Singh, Barinder Kumar Goyal, Lal Chand Kataruchak and Laljit Singh Bhullar too criticised the Centre over the relief package, which they termed "meagre".

It is nothing more than a "token gesture" and an "insult to injury" for millions of people who lost their homes, livelihoods and crops in one of the most devastating floods in Punjab's history, they said. PTI CHS NSD NSD