Punjab CM Urges PM Modi to Release ₹60,000 Crore Pending Funds Amid Worst Flood Crisis

Bhagwant Singh Mann seeks revision of SDRF norms; demands ₹50,000 per acre compensation for farmers

The Voice of Chandigarh

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking urgent release of ₹60,000 crore in pending state funds from the Government of India as Punjab reels under one of the worst flood disasters in decades.

In his letter, Mann highlighted that around 1,000 villages across seven districts—Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Amritsar, Pathankot, Ferozepur, Fazilka, and Hoshiarpur—have been inundated due to torrential monsoon rains and release of water from dams. The floods have left lakhs of people affected and nearly three lakh acres of farmland submerged, primarily paddy fields, just weeks before harvest.

The CM underlined that the state has also suffered a widespread loss of livestock, crippling rural households dependent on dairy and animal husbandry. He further reminded the Prime Minister that Punjab has faced a permanent revenue loss of ₹49,727 crore following the transition from VAT to GST, for which no compensation has been provided.

Additionally, Mann pointed out that the reduction of RDF and MDF in recent years has led to a loss of over ₹8,000 crore, while the Centre’s decision to scrap PMGSY projects worth ₹828 crore will adversely affect rural connectivity in the state.

Criticising the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms, Mann said the current relief of ₹17,000 per hectare (₹6,800 per acre) for crop losses above 33% is “totally unrealistic” and “a cruel joke with farmers.” Punjab, he said, already supplements this by paying ₹15,000 per acre, but considering the massive damage, he demanded at least ₹50,000 per acre as compensation.

“The notified norms remain grossly inadequate to compensate farmers, livestock owners, and vulnerable communities for the scale of their losses,” the Chief Minister wrote, while reiterating that Punjab would continue to contribute 25% as mandated under the SDRF scheme.

Calling for immediate central intervention, Mann urged the Prime Minister to release the pending ₹60,000 crore and revise disaster relief norms to ensure adequate compensation to affected farmers and rural families.