After his visit to flood-affected Punjab, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Friday that the Centre would work on short, medium and long-term plans to pull the state out of the dire situation.
Describing the floods in Punjab as a "deluge", Chouhan said he would submit a detailed ground assessment report to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the damage to crops, farmers and livestock, based on which the Centre would come up with a comprehensive relief and rehabilitation package for the state.
"The PM is deeply concerned about the situation in Punjab. It was on his direction that I visited the state on Thursday. In this hour of distress, the Central Government stands with the people and farmers of Punjab," Chouhan said. He said planned redevelopment of flood-affected regions of the state is the need of the hour, pointing out that the AAP government in Punjab should also work towards it with all seriousness.
Chouhan said Punjab would be prone to water-borne diseases once the level recedes. "Dead animals would need to be disposed of properly to prevent any epidemic. Silt has deposited across farms. We will need to make a desilting plan to save the next crop," he said.
Based on his spot assessment in Amritsar, Pathankot and Gurdaspur districts, Chouhan observed that embankments along the Satluj, Beas, Ravi and Ghaggar have weakened as a result of illegal mining. “We need to restore these embankments to prevent a future crisis," he said.
Lauding Punjab's spirit in the face of such a serious calamity, the agriculture minister said, "I witnessed Punjab's spirit of sewa, how social activists are going from village to village to distribute relief, food, clothes and medicines. I salute Punjab's spirit of ‘sewa’. The service of a distressed individual is equivalent to the worship of God. Neighbouring states have also come forward to help. This sense of unity in crisis gives us the strength to overcome all difficulties," he said.
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