Rs1,600 Cr Does Grave Injustice To People Of Punjab, This Crisis Demands A Bolder Response: Rahul
“Over 4 lakh acres of paddy crop have been destroyed, and over 10 lakh animals have perished."
Punjab relief, Rahul Gandhi writes to PM Modi requesting More relief package for Punjab Latest News: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has appealed to the Central government to facilitate a quick assessment of the damage and deliver a comprehensive relief package to the severely flood-affected Indian state of Punjab, citing that the Rs 1,600 crore initial relief announced by the government “does grave injustice to the people of Punjab” and that estimates suggest the state has suffered a loss of at least Rs 20,000 crore.
“This crisis demands a bolder response,” the Congress leader said in a letter dated 16 Sept. 2025, addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I write to you regarding the catastrophic floods that have devastated Punjab. During my recent visit, I witnessed the shocking devastation and its human cost,” the letter read.
“Over 4 lakh acres of paddy crop have been destroyed, and over 10 lakh animals have perished. Lakhs of people, mostly from marginalised communities, have lost their homes. The flood has also rendered vast tracts of land uncultivable in the near future. Even today, thousands of acres are submerged and villages remain cut off,” it added.
According to recent data from the Punjab government, over 2,300 villages in the state have been affected in the worst floods in nearly four decades, resulting in extensive silting of village streets, accumulation of debris, and large-scale loss of livestock. Community assets, including community centres, schools, cremation grounds, and anganwadis, have also been damaged.
“Despite the gravity of this crisis, I witnessed the very best of humanity," Rahul said, adding, "Communities rallied behind those who lost everything. People opened their homes to strangers and shared whatever little they had. Their generosity and commitment to help, often at great personal risk, was admirable."
Rahul, however, called the initial relief of Rs 1,600 crore announced by the Union government a “grave injustice to the people of Punjab,” stating, “Estimates suggest that the state has suffered a loss of at least Rs 20,000 crore. This crisis demands a bolder response. I request the government to facilitate a quick assessment of the damage and deliver a comprehensive relief package.”
“Punjab will rise again. In their hour of need, we must reassure every farmer, every soldier, and every family in Punjab that India stands with them. We must come together and extend all possible support to help rebuild their future,” Rahul added.
The Centre announced the Rs 1,600 crore financial assistance to Punjab for flood relief after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the state on 9 September 2025. His visit came three weeks after the devastating flood hit the state.
His visit included an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas in the state.
Ahead of PM Modi’s visit to Punjab, the state government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Congress leaders, had urged PM Modi to release Rs 20,000 crore for the relief and rescue operations, and it had also demanded its pending dues of Rs 60,000 crore from the Centre.
The Centre, however, released only Rs 1,600 crore, which was in addition to Rs 12,000 crore already in the state’s kitty, a government press release dated 9 Sept. 2025 said.
“There will be an advance release of the second instalment of SDRF and PM Kisan Samman Nidhi,” it added.
Accordingly, the Centre government has released the second instalment of Rs 240 crore under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for Punjab flood relief, in a letter dated 10 September 2025, from the Ministry of Finance.
Earlier, ahead of the PM's visit to the state, the Union government had also sent Inter-Ministerial Central teams to visit Punjab to assess the extent of the damage, and based on their detailed report, further assistance will be considered, the Centre government stated in the press release when PM Modi visited Punjab.
Congress MP from Ludhiana, Punjab, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, had slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “disappointing” Punjab after the announcement of the Rs 1,600 crore flood relief financial assistance.
He had called it “a drop in the ocean” and “oont ke mooh mein jeera,” adding, “Prime Minister @narendramodi ji has deeply disappointed Punjabis once again. When Punjab had great expectations from him, he failed. Rs 1,600 crore is not even peanuts. The estimated loss runs into thousands of crores of rupees. Wonder what the idea is behind such meagre relief,” Amarinder Singh Raja had posted on X later today.
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