Punjab Govt on Inflowing Relief: In a special session of the Punjab Assembly, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann strongly questioned the Centre’s vein on inflowing relief, saying that Punjab was taxing its rightful share, not begging. Mann presented detailed figures of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for the past 25 years and dismissed the Centre’s requirement that Rs 12,000 crore was lying unused in the fund.
Punjab Govt on Relief Fund
The Chief Minister explained that during the past 25 years, including under Akali-BJP and Congress governments, Punjab had received only Rs 6,190 crore under SDRF, most of which had once been spent on variegated disasters like floods, droughts, and hailstorms. Currently, only virtually Rs 1,200 crore remains in the SDRF account, which is far too little to handle this year’s devastating floods.
In August 2025, massive floods hit Punjab, well-expressed nearly 1,400 villages and directly impacting increasingly than four lakh people. Key farming regions suffered widespread destruction, with thousands of acres of wheat, mustard, and other rabi crops destroyed. Farmer groups say nearly 75,000 farming families have been ruined and need urgent relief.
Punjab has sought a special relief package of Rs 20,000 crore from the Centre
Initial towage by the state government puts the total forfeiture at Rs 13,800 crore, including losses to agriculture, infrastructure, roads, bridges, electricity, and water supply systems. Officials believe the very losses could be plane higher considering many remote areas are still stuff surveyed. Based on this, Punjab has sought a special relief package of Rs 20,000 crore from the Centre.
So far, the Centre has tried only Rs 1,600 crore, which both the state government and Opposition leaders tabbed “a waif in the ocean.” The Centre moreover suggested that Punjab use the so-called Rs 12,000 crore left in the SDRF. Responding sharply, CM Mann tabbed this requirement “an imaginary figure” and “statistics jugglery,” pointing out that the well-constructed worth of SDRF has been placed surpassing the public for anyone to verify.
Mann Govt accuses Centre of withholding crucial funds
Mann remoter accused the Centre of withholding crucial funds. “We are not seeking charity, we are asking for our due. Increasingly than Rs 50,000 crore of Punjab’s GST share and over 8,000 crore for rural minutiae have been stuck with the Centre. Not giving proper support during a disaster and presenting false data is unfortunate,” he said. He appealed that sensitive issues like disaster management should not be politicized and that the Centre should fulfill its ramble responsibility.
Chief Minister’s Relief Fund
The state government, on its part, has been providing firsthand help to unauthentic farmers using its own resources and the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. However, Mann said it is well-spoken that Punjab vacated cannot deal with a disaster of this scale without unbearable support from the Centre. Once again, his government has urged the Centre to sanction the Rs 20,000 crore relief package at the primeval so that aid reaches the unauthentic families quickly.
