E-Paper
Disaster relief fund: People of Punjab misled, CM should apologise, says Jakhar
Countering the BJP’s charge, Mann asked the opposition party to not “play politics” in this hour of crisis. Of the ₹5,012 crore received under the SDRF since it was set up, ₹3,820 crore has been spent, he said.
Citing a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report claiming that SDRF funds were “lying unused”, Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar on Saturday accused chief minister Bhagwant Mann of “misleading” people over the issue. Jakhar demanded that the CM apologise to the people of Punjab and also ensure proper utilisation of the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF).
Countering the BJP’s charge, Mann asked the opposition party to not “play politics” in this hour of crisis. Of the ₹5,012 crore received under the SDRF since it was set up, ₹3,820 crore has been spent, he said.
Sharing the CAG report on X, Jakhar said, “According to this CAG report, it is clearly stated that as of March 31, 2023, Punjab had ₹9,041.74 crore in SDRF funds, and the state government violated central government rules by not investing these funds appropriately. “Funds from the SDRF are lying unused with the Bhagwant Mann government,” he charged.
The Punjab BJP chief claimed that funds for the years 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26 have also been received by the state, bringing the total amount to ₹12,000 crore.
A political slugfest has erupted in Punjab over the SDRF funds, with the AAP government claiming that it has received ₹1,582 crore from the Centre since April 2022, of which ₹649 crore has already been spent. However, the opposition parties, including the BJP, have questioned the Mann government over the ₹12,000 crore under the SDRF, claiming that this amount is already available in the state’s kitty and demanding its details.
Asked during a press briefing on Friday about the ₹12,000 crore, Mann said the opposition parties were talking about the amount received during previous governments.
Responding to a question about Jakhar’s allegations at a press conference on Saturday, the chief minister said that since the SDRF was set up in 2010-11, Punjab has received ₹5,012 crore and ₹3,820 crore has been spent.
