PUNJAB NEWS : Punjab Cabinet Ministers Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Hardeep Singh Mundian, Harbhajan Singh ETO, Barinder Kumar Goyal, Lal Chand Kataruchak, and Laljit Singh Bhullar strongly criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for announcing just ₹1,600 crore as flood relief for Punjab, compared to the state’s rightful demand of ₹80,000 crore. Calling the package a mere token gesture, they said it has only added insult to injury for millions of people who have lost homes, livelihoods, and crops in one of Punjab’s worst floods in history.
In a joint statement, the Ministers accused the Centre of offering a paltry sum that amounts to rubbing salt in the wounds of suffering families. They said Punjab has endured massive devastation, with entire villages submerged and agricultural land destroyed, and the Central relief is no match for the colossal losses.
They stressed that Punjab, which has always served as the nation’s food basket and border protector, deserves far better than such neglect. With the backbone of the state’s agrarian economy broken, they said what is urgently needed is substantial financial support, not symbolic aid.
The Ministers clarified that the state’s demand of ₹20,000 crore was a well-assessed estimate based on actual damages, not an arbitrary figure. They accused the Centre of ignoring the plight of farmers, labourers, and ordinary citizens struggling to recover from the disaster.
They concluded by urging the Prime Minister to rise above narrow political considerations and extend wholehearted assistance. “When a house is on fire, one does not count drops of water—the same way, piecemeal relief cannot heal the wounds of a tragedy of this magnitude,” they remarked.