Punjab Assembly Session: AAP Govt Demands ₹20k Crore Flood-Relief Package From Centre

Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government moved a resolution on the opening day of the Punjab assembly session on Friday condemning the BJP-led Central government for its lack of response and failure to sanction a Rs 20,000 crore financial relief package for the flood-hit state.

Punjab had recently been ravaged by floods triggered by swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers and torrential rains which severely hit 2,300 villages, destroyed crops in over 5 lakh acres and claimed 59 lives across the state.

Moved by water resources minister Barinder Kumar Goyal, the resolution described the floods as the worst faced by Punjab and expressed its ``profound dismay’’ at the announcement of a token relief package of Rs 1,600 crore, calling it a cruel mockery of the state’s demand of over Rs 20,000 crore for full recovery.

Calling upon the Central government to acknowledge the scale and gravity of the disaster and sanction a special financial package of not less than Rs 20,000 crore to support the farmers and rebuild the destroyed infrastructure of the state.

AAP MLAs’ STRONG PROTEST AGAINST PM

The House witnessed a strong protest staged by the AAP legislators who stormed the Well of the assembly and held placards and shouted slogans against prime minister Narendra Modi, who, they alleged, did not respond to the chief minister Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government’s pleas for relief package.

Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan adjourned the House when the ruling party MLAs walked out of the House after refusing to stop their protest despite his repeated requests to resume their seats.

TRIBUTES TO CITIZENS WHO LOST LIVES IN FLOODS

Meanwhile, the assembly also paid tributes to 59 citizens who lost their lives in the recent devastating floods across the state.

At the outset of the special session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan along with all members of the House also observed remembrance for other departed souls including actor and comedian Jaswinder Singh Bhalla, renowned music composer Charanjit Ahuja and Ram Prashad Sharma, brother of MLA Ashwani Sharma.