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Punjab govt misleading people on flood relief: Ashwani Sharma
While addressing a press conference here, Ashwani Sharma said, “The ministry of home affairs confirmed to chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann that ₹12,589.59 crore is in the account of the Punjab government as the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for immediate relief and rehabilitation.”
Ashwani Sharma, working president, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Punjab, said that the state has faced one of the worst flood disasters in its history, but instead of “fulfilling its duty, the state government abandoned its responsibility and continues to mislead the people on relief and rehabilitation”.
While addressing a press conference here, he said, “The ministry of home affairs confirmed to chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann that ₹12,589.59 crore is in the account of the Punjab government as the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for immediate relief and rehabilitation.”
“Where is this money and why has it not been used for the flood-affected people,” he asked.
“Contradictory statements on the availability of ₹12,589.59 crore by the CM, his ministers Harpal Singh Cheema, and Hardeep Singh Mundian, and the chief secretary raise serious doubts about whether the funds have been diverted, misused, or kept idle when people desperately needed them”, Sharma said.
He asserted that the Prime Minister is serious about Punjab, that’s why, without waiting for the receipt of a memorandum from Punjab, the Inter-Ministerial Central Government Team (IMCT) visited the affected areas for on-the-spot assessment of damages in the state from September 3 to 6 . But the Punjab government has still not submitted a detailed memorandum of damages, thereby blocking further release of central funds as per the laid norms, Sharma added
