Prime minister's relief plan becomes a puzzle for Punjab, Himachal

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the disaster-affected areas of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. During this visit, he announced financial assistance of Rs 1,600 crore for Punjab and Rs 1,500 crore for Himachal.

Having made the announcement, the PM left, but Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu cannot, for the life of him, understand in what form exactly this money will reach the state. Will it come directly as part of a relief package, or will it reach under different heads and different schemes?

The financial assistance announced by the Centre includes Rs 2 lakh per family to be given from the National Disaster Response Fund for families of those who lost their lives during the disaster. According to government figures, 370 people have died in the state owing to cloudbursts, sudden floods, landslides and excessive rainfall. The total expenditure under this head has been estimated at Rs 74 crore. Apart from this, the injured will be given Rs 50,000 per person.

It is important to mention here that the state received Central aid of Rs 2006.4 crore for the 2023 disaster in June 2025. The chief minister has also said the state does not have much resources to spare, so he has requested an increase in the state's borrowing limit by two per cent.

Sukhu also says the total financial loss to the state has crossed Rs 10,000 crore, so the Centre should provide direct help of at least Rs 5,000 crore for disaster relief.

When the PM announced Rs 1,600 crore for Punjab, a package of Rs 1,200 crore had already been released from the Disaster Response Fund. Therefore, after the announcement, there was confusion over whether this amount of Rs 1,200 crore would be separate from the earlier Rs 1,600 crore, or included in the total amount. However, it was later clarified that the announcement made by the PM would be separate from the amount released earlier.

On the same day, the government's Press Information Bureau issued a press release which PM Modi also shared on X. According to this press release, flood victims in Punjab would receive help under schemes like PM Care, PM Awas Yojana and PM Kisan Nidhi. In other words, the declared amount should reach Punjab under these schemes.

When the prime minister reached Gurdaspur during his visit to Himachal and Punjab, he was made to meet 19 farmers. Punjab BJP leaders Sunil Jakhar and Ashwini Sharma were also present at the meeting, where the PM received a request to transfer the central assistance directly in the accounts of the farmers instead of through the state government. The PM reportedly assured he would consider this.

Although BJP leaders are welcoming the announcement made by the PM, not all parties are satisfied with it. The state government says the losses incurred in Punjab are huge, for which the Centre should provide direct assistance of at least Rs 20,000 crore, apart from the Rs 60,000 crore due to the state from the Centre, which should also be paid immediately.

Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has said when Punjab needed "an entire ocean, the Central government has given only a drop".