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Centre releases 2nd SDRF instalment of ₹240 crore for Punjab flood relief
Adding the state’s contribution of ₹160.80 crore, the total SDRF corpus has now reached ₹642.40 crore. The SDRF is jointly funded by the Centre and states in a 75:25 ratio.
The Centre has released the second instalment of ₹240.80 crore to the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) of Punjab for flood relief.
The sanction was cleared last week by the Union finance ministry’s department of expenditure, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement during his visit to flood-hit areas of Punjab that the amount would be released in advance. With this, the central government has so far released ₹481.80 crore for Punjab this fiscal.
Adding the state’s contribution of ₹160.80 crore, the total SDRF corpus has now reached ₹642.40 crore. The SDRF is jointly funded by the Centre and states in a 75:25 ratio.
Welcoming the release, Union minister of state Ravneet Singh Bittu said the Modi government had once again stood firmly with Punjab. “After already releasing ₹1,600 crore, the Government of India has now released an additional ₹240.80 crore to the SDRF. This reflects the unwavering commitment of Modi Sarkar to support Punjab and its people in every hour of need,” he posted on X.
However, the announcement drew sharp criticism from the Aam Aadmi Party.
Neel Garg, AAP spokesperson, said BJP leaders were “rubbing salt into Punjab’s wounds.” “The state had suffered losses worth thousands of crores, while the Centre is highlighting a “meagre” relief amount,” Garg added.
The row comes against the backdrop of claims and counter-claims over the size of Punjab’s disaster relief kitty. While the Prime Minister recently cited ₹12,000 crore available in the state’s SDRF kitty, the AAP government countered that it had received only ₹1,582 crore during its tenure. The Opposition has since demanded a probe into what it called “missing” funds.
