Chandigarh, Sep 9 (IANS) Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday expressed condemnation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s financial assistance package for the state, calling it a “cruel joke” for the flood-ravaged people.

He slammed the Central government for the “meagre and insulting” flood relief package announced by Prime Minister Modi after the aerial survey.

Finance Minister Cheema said the aid of Rs 1,600 crore “is a cruel joke on the people of Punjab who have suffered devastating losses in what has been described as the worst floods in four decades”.

“The Prime Minister’s visit was nothing more than a photo-op. After weeks of our state battling an unprecedented natural calamity, the Prime Minister has finally responded with an aid package that is a pittance. The losses incurred by our farmers, labourers, poor people, businesses, and infrastructure run into tens of thousands of crores, and the Union government has the audacity to offer a paltry sum of Rs 1,600 crore,” said Cheema.

Specifically mentioning the immense suffering of the poor whose houses were destroyed and the loss being faced by the labourers, the Finance Minister said many of these people are under open skies, and labourers have not earned a penny.

He highlighted the immense damage suffered by the poor, including widespread destruction of crops, homes, and public infrastructure. He said the state government has already announced compensation of Rs 20,000 per acre for farmers and Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of those who lost their lives.

“We are doing everything in our power to provide relief, but the scale of the disaster is such that it requires substantial and immediate support from the Centre. The Prime Minister’s announcement is a grave injustice to the people of Punjab,” he said.

He reiterated the state’s long-standing demand for the release of pending funds from the Centre, including the GST compensation and other dues, which he said amount to over Rs 60,000 crore.

“The Prime Minister has not even responded to the letter written by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann seeking the release of these funds. Instead of providing the necessary support, the Centre is politicising a humanitarian crisis,” he said.

–IANS

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