Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], September 9 : Amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state to assess the flood situation, Punjab Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO on Tuesday urged the Centre to release Rs 60,000 crore pending dues of the state, with an additional amount of Rs 20,000 cr to reduce the damages caused by the flood.
"... We have pending dues of Rs 60,000 crores with the Centre. He should release it immediately. An additional amount of Rs 20,000 crores should be given to Punjab to reduce the damage caused by the flood..." Singh told ANI.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a review meeting with senior officials in Punjab's Gurdaspur to assess the damage caused in the state due to the recent floods.
Congress MP Manish Tewari also called for substantial financial support from the central government to help Punjab and Himachal Pradesh recover from the devastating floods.
Describing the floods as the most severe in Punjab since 1988, Tewari emphasised that both states, being border regions, require not just empathy but sustained financial backing to rebuild lives and livelihoods.
Speaking to ANI, Tewari said, "After 1988, this has been the most devastating flood in Punjab. There has been widespread destruction, public infrastructure, private infrastructure. There has been loss of human lives. Lakhs of cattle have been impacted, other domesticated animals have been affected. If you go by anecdotal reports, they seem to suggest that a lot of them have been swept away, some even to Pakistan."
He added, "Himachal Pradesh similarly has been facing some very extreme weather events. So under those circumstances, the Prime Minister needs to be extremely generous. They need to open their purse strings. Punjab and Himachal Pradesh are border states."
Tewari stressed that beyond empathy, both states required "solid, sustained financial support" to rebuild lives and livelihoods affected by the floods.
"And in addition to empathy, what Punjab and Himachal Pradesh require is solid, sustained financial support to be able to rebuild the lives and livelihoods of the people," the Congress MP said.
The death toll in Punjab rose to 51, according to the Department of Information and Public Relations, Punjab.