Punjab Seeks ₹20,000-Crore Flood Relief Package from Centre as PM Modi Visits State Today
AAP government hikes crop compensation to ₹20,000 per acre; PM to review flood-hit areas in Punjab and Himachal….
Chandigarh – On the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to flood-ravaged Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has demanded a relief package of ₹20,000 crore from the Centre. The Punjab Cabinet also announced an increase in compensation for affected farmers, raising it by ₹13,200 per acre — from ₹6,800 to ₹20,000.
According to officials, PM Modi will conduct an aerial survey of flood-affected areas in Punjab today. He is scheduled to visit Gurdaspur, where he will meet victim families and chair a review meeting with senior ministers and top officials. Modi will also travel to neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, which has witnessed massive devastation due to cloudbursts and flash floods, and hold a review meeting in Kangra.
With Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann admitted to a hospital in Mohali, a delegation of Punjab ministers and bureaucrats will receive the Prime Minister. Political observers believe the visit could signal the BJP’s efforts to expand its presence in rural Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Punjab minister and AAP state president Aman Arora welcomed the PM’s visit but urged him to announce the ₹20,000 crore package, citing “unprecedented losses.” He further demanded the release of the state’s pending dues of ₹60,000 crore from the Centre.
“Crops on 4.30 lakh acres have been destroyed, nearly 3.60 lakh livestock have perished, and hundreds of houses have collapsed. Punjab is facing a tragedy never seen before. The PM must announce immediate relief for our people,” said Arora.
Highlighting the long-term challenges, Arora noted that the current situation is worse than the 1988 floods, with silt deposits in farmlands likely to make it difficult for farmers to sow the next crop. He also criticized Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, accusing him of engaging in “disaster tourism” during his recent visit and dismissing his claim that illegal river mining was to blame for the flooding.
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