Chandigarh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a financial assistance of Rs 1,600 crore for flood-hit Punjab as he reviewed the situation and damage caused by the deluge to the state, battling its worst deluge since 1988.
Modi announced the assistance for the border state in addition to the Rs 12,000 crore already in the state’s kitty.
The PM 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 in the floods and natural calamity.
Earlier, he took stock of the flood situation and also conducted an aerial survey of the flood-ravaged areas in Punjab.
Modi, who was on a day-long visit to Punjab and its neighbouring Himachal Pradesh to review the flood situation in the two states, landed in Gurdaspur — one of the worst affected districts in the state — after conducting the aerial survey.
Prior to this, he visited Himachal Pradesh and took stock of the flood and landslides situation in the state.
In Gurdaspur, Modi met flood-affected people as well as NDRF and SDRF teams.
PM Modi chaired an official meeting in Gurdaspur with officials and elected representatives and reviewed the relief and rehabilitation measures undertaken as well as assessed the damage that has occurred in Punjab.
Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Punjab Agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, Punjab Revenue Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian were also present in the official meeting.
PM Modi announced a financial assistance of Rs 1,600 crore for Punjab in addition to the Rs 12,000 crore already in the state’s kitty.
There will be advance release of the second instalment of SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund) and PM Kisan Samman Nidhi.
The PM emphasised the need for a multi-dimensional approach to help the entire region and its people recover.
This would include measures such as rebuilding homes under the PM Awas Yojana, restoring national highways, reconstructing schools, providing relief through the PMNRF (PM National Relief Fund), and distributing mini kits for livestock.
The PM expressed his condolences to the family members of those who have lost their lives in the natural calamity and stated that the Union Government will work closely with the state governments in this difficult time and extend all possible assistance.
He also met families from Punjab who were affected by the calamities and floods and expressed his complete solidarity with all those who had suffered and expressed deep sorrow who had lost their close ones.
Punjab is currently facing one of its worst flood disasters in decades. The floods are a result of swollen rivers the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi along with seasonal rivulets caused by heavy rainfall in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Besides, heavy rains in recent days in Punjab also aggravated the flooding situation.
The death toll due to the devastating floods in Punjab stands at 51 while crops on 1.84 lakh hectares have been damaged.
The state government has estimated a loss of over Rs 13,000 crore because of the floods that ravaged the state.
A total of 2,064 villages have been impacted because of the floods, with maximum villages in Gurdaspur district at 329.
The worst affected districts are Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Tarn Taran and Pathankot.
According to the state government officials, over 3.87 lakh people have been affected across 15 districts and more than 23,000 persons have been safely evacuated from the flood-hit areas.
