Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced in the state Assembly on Monday that he would meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday to press for an increase in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) allocation in view of the flood crisis in the state.
Addressing the Assembly during a special session called to discuss ways to deal with the unprecedented devastation caused by floods in the state, Mann said his government would start distributing compensation to farmers and other flood-affected people from October 15. He said his ministerial colleagues would carry out the exercise to extend compensation across the state.
While a compensation of Rs 20,000 per acre would be given for 75 to 100 per cent crop damage, Rs 10,000 per acre would be given for crop damage ranging from 33 to 75 per cent. A compensation of Rs 1.20 lakh will be given for complete damage to houses.
Additionally, farmers would be given Rs 7,200 per acre for extracting sand from their flood-ravaged fields. A compensation of Rs 47,500 per hectare has been fixed for farmers whose fields have been washed away by flooded rivers.
Session adjourned
The session, where six amendment Bills across multiple sectors were to be introduced, was adjourned after a heated exchange between Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and Finance Minister Harpal Cheema. Cheema alleged that Bajwa was promoting self-interest through land deals at others’ expense.
Resolution against Centre’s ‘token’ relief package passed
The state Assembly unanimously passed a resolution, strongly condemning the Centre’s announcement of a ₹1,600-crore flood relief package for the state, terming it as a mere “token amount” against the state government’s demand of at least ₹20,000 crore.
The resolution, moved by Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal on Friday, was discussed in the House for two days before being adopted. The resolution also criticised the Prime Minister for not holding a meeting with Mann on the crisis despite repeated requests from the state government.
Earlier, Information and Public Relations Minister Aman Arora launched a scathing attack on the Central government and the Congress in his address. Accusing the Centre of being “anti-Punjab”, he said that despite repeated letters from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the Centre had failed to respond to the state’s demands and concerns.
He said desilting work is not permitted within 5 km of the international border, a decision that rests with the Centre, yet no action has been taken. Taking on the Congress, Arora alleged that previous governments did little for flood management other than indulging in scams and cited the irrigation scam as an example.
“In three years, we ensured the cleaning of drains and did ground-level work, unlike the earlier governments which focused only on photo-ops,” he said.
Addressing the House, Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh directed his attack at the Opposition, saying, “Those calling Rangla Punjab ‘Kangla Punjab’ should first reflect on their own shortcomings. Tell us, what have you done for Punjab? You left Punjab impoverished. We are striving to make it prosperous.”
Also read: Punjab seeks flood relief package of ₹20,000 crore
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