PM Modi Announces ₹1,600 Crore Flood Relief Package for Punjab After Aerial Survey
Funds to support housing, highways, schools, livestock aid and advance SDRF/PM-Kisan releases; farmers flagged pending compensation and local issues in Gurdaspur meeting.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after an aerial survey of flood-affected areas in Punjab, announced a Rs 1,600 crore relief package for the state, supplementing Rs 12,000 crore already allocated under central schemes.
In Gurdaspur, he met 19 farmers from areas like Fazilka and Ajnala, who raised concerns about unpaid 2023 compensation and issues like illegal mining and neglected Dhussi bandhs.
Modi assured a multi-pronged recovery plan, including rebuilding homes under PM Awas Yojana, restoring highways, reconstructing schools, and providing PMNRF relief and livestock mini-kits. Advance releases of SDRF and PM Kisan Samman Nidhi funds were also promised.
Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar noted the Prime Minister’s 30-minute interaction with farmers, while leader Tarun Chugh highlighted local distrust in state fund distribution.
Earlier, in Himachal Pradesh, Modi conducted an aerial survey of Kullu, Mandi, and Chamba, announcing a Rs 1,500 crore financial assistance package, ex-gratia payments and met 18 victims, including one-year-old Nitika, orphaned in a June 30 cloudburst.