Red Tape: AAP & BJP Spar Over ‘Missing’ Disaster Relief Funds

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of USD 181M flood relief package for Panjab during his visit to Gurdaspur 9 Sep has sparked sharp reactions from farmers, who have questioned its adequacy and purpose. Sarwan Singh Pandher, coordinator of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha asked, 'Is the USD 181M for agriculture, infrastructure, or housing? Will it be over and above the state’s package, or merged into it?' The PM relief was accompanied with a Press Information Bureau (PIB) statement that the relief was ‘in addition to the USD 1.36B already in the state’s kitty’. The Opposition has questioned the Panjab government over these State Disaster Relief Funds (SDRF) ‘lying unspent’. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said, 'The government is sitting on such a huge amount of money, which could have been used to give relief to the people.' Punjab Pradesh (state) Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring alleged the state government diverted the funds for other uses, leaving flood-affected victims in utter despair. Panjab Bharatiya Janata Party chief Sunil Jakhar shared a state Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report from 2024 suggesting Panjab’s disaster relief fund had USD 1.02B as on 31 Mar 2023. Panjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the union government had not paid Panjab a 'single penny' for disaster management or mitigation. On 12 Sep when chief secretary Kumar Anugraha Prasad Sinha said the SDRF amount did exist in the state’s account, but 'it cannot be used at the drop of a hat'. The chief secretary clarified, 'But we cannot use this money immediately as we act like bankers for this money. It is like an entry in a passbook, where the money is reflecting that it exists in the account, but it cannot be withdrawn all at once.' It is a pity that when Panjab is facing such a huge disaster, its government has not managed its accounts (earlier coverage).