Centre announces funds for flood-hit Punjab, Himachal Pradesh

The Central government on Tuesday announced a financial assistance package of Rs 1,600 crore for Punjab and Rs 1,500 crore for Himachal Pradesh to help with flood rehabilitation efforts while Opposition leaders criticised insufficient relief measures. Notably, Punjab had sought Central assistance to the tune of a minimum of Rs 20,000 crore against a projected loss of Rs 13,000 crore.

This comes as Punjab battles its worst deluge since 1988, and Himachal Pradesh continues to reel from a series of cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides triggered by an unusually intense monsoon.

In Himachal Pradesh, 370 people have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents between 20 June and 8 September, according to the state emergency operation centre. Among them, 205 deaths were directly due to natural disasters, including 43 from landslides, 17 from cloudbursts, and 9 from flash floods. An additional 165 deaths were due to road accidents, while 41 people remain missing.

As of Tuesday morning, 619 roads, including four national highways, remained closed. 1,748 power transformers and 461 water supply schemes were still disrupted.

The monsoon has severely impacted infrastructure and housing in the state, with 6,344 houses and 461 shops and factories either completely or partially damaged. Government and private lands have also suffered extensive losses. The estimated financial losses have already run into well over Rs 3,000 crore.

The Rs 1,500 crore financial assistance to Himachal Pradesh will include an advance release of the second instalment of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and support through PM Kisan Samman Nidhi.

Officials said a multi-pronged rehabilitation approach will be taken, including the reconstruction of homes under the PM Awas Yojana, restoration of national highways and schools, distribution of relief through PM National Relief Fund (PMNRF), and mini kits for livestock.

In Himachal Pradesh, authorities have requested relaxation in the Forest Conservation Act to allow the allocation of forest land to people who have been rendered landless due to the monsoon disasters.

Authorities in both states emphasised the urgent need for long-term rehabilitation, strengthening of climate-resilient infrastructure, and quick restoration of essential services.

Central teams have already been deployed to assess damage in Himachal Pradesh. Further aid will be considered after detailed evaluation of the situation.

Punjab: 51 deaths, 1.84 lakh hectares of crops damaged

In Punjab, the death toll due to floods has reached 51, while crops on 1.84 lakh hectares have been damaged. The total estimated loss in the state is pegged at over Rs 13,000 crore, affecting 2,064 villages — with Gurdaspur district alone accounting for 329 villages.

The Rs 1,600 crore assistance will also be an advance release of the second instalment of SDRF and include PM Kisan Samman Nidhi support. Ex-gratia compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the seriously injured has been announced.

The recent floods in Punjab were worsened by swollen rivers like the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi, along with seasonal rivulets affected by heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. Intense rains within Punjab in recent days further aggravated the crisis.

Relief and rescue operations have been in full swing, with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel deployed in affected districts. Several service organisations and the state administration continue to be engaged in evacuation, food distribution, and medical support.

With PTI inputs