The initial assessment of damage from floods that have ravaged Punjab over the past weeks is around Rs 13,800 crore and the final figure will likely be higher, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann told NDTV Friday as he questioned the federal government granting only Rs 1,600 crore aid.
He also hit back at criticism from the opposition BJP, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that the Punjab government had a massive Rs 12,000 crore sitting unused in the State Disaster Response Fund account, which is meant to be used by states to deal with disasters like floods.
“What will happen with Rs 1,600 crore? What will we do with Rs 1,600 crore? Are they joking? The initial loss is Rs 13,800 crore… Rs 1,600 crore is just a drop in the ocean,” he said, pointing out also that the centre had withheld Rs 8,000 crore for the state’s Rural Development Fund.
The Punjab government uses the RDF, which is the three per cent cess levied on sale or purchase of agricultural produce, to maintain roads and mandis, or farmers wholesale markets.
“This (the RDF payout) was stopped without reason… which is usually what happens to non-BJP governments, i.e., they (the BJP) stop paying opposition governments,” Mr Mann told NDTV.
Asked about the BJP’s Rs 12,000 crore claim, Mr Mann told NDTV he had data – debit and credit – for each year since 2010/11, and that the balance, as of this year, is less than Rs 2,000 crore.
“The SDRF account was set up in 2010/11, when the state got Rs 84 crore. But Rs 184 crore was spent that year. Rs 171 crore was received in 2011/12 and Rs 159 crore was spent. Similarly, in 2012/13, the centre sent Rs 272 crore and Rs 10 crore was spent. In 2013/14 Rs 194 crore was received and Rs 236 crore was spent….” Mr Mann rattled out the figures to 2025/26.
“Total we received was Rs 5,012 crore. From that the SDRF spent Rs 3,820 crore. There is nothing illegal or hidden in this… so there is only around Rs 1,200 crore left. Where did this Rs 12,000 crore figure come from? The BJP simply added a zero to the actual amount!”
The Chief Minister further claimed the centre had also not paid out a staggering Rs 50,000 crore as Punjab’s share of Goods and Services Tax revenue. “Just give us this… no need for any ‘special package’ from the centre. We will manage our flood relief operations from this amount.”
Punjab has been battered by the worst floods to hit the border state in decades.
The floods are a result of overflowing Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers, compounded by seasonal rivulets caused by heavy rainfall in catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Also, heavy rainfall in Punjab aggravated the flooding situation.
As of last week, 55 people have died and statewide relief and rehabilitation efforts are ongoing, with the danger of outbreak of water-borne diseases a constant threat. Over 2,000 villages and nearly four lakh people have been affected, Revenue Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian said.
In addition, crops on 1.93 lakh hectares of land had been damaged, he said.
A total 14 Army columns, eight National Disaster Response Force and two State Disaster Response Force teams have been deployed, as also two Engineer Task Force teams.
Last week Mr Modi announced financial assistance of Rs 1,600 crore and, in the addendum Mr Mann refuted to NDTV, said the state could use Rs 12,000 crore in the SDRF account too.
Ahead of Mr Modi’s visit – he was in Gurdaspur district after completing an aerial survey – the state demanded he announce a relief package of at least Rs 20,000 crore.
