Gurdaspur/Kangra: Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted an aerial survey and held high-level meetings in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday to assess the damage caused by recent floods and landslides. Following his visit, he announced Rs 1,600 crore for Punjab and Rs 1,500 crore for Himachal Pradesh as part of an immediate relief package.
Rs 1,600 Crore Relief Package for Punjab
During his visit to flood-hit Gurdaspur, the PM met officials, flood victims, and representatives of the state government, including Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, and Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian.
ਪੰਜਾਬ ਵਿੱਚ ਹੜ੍ਹਾਂ ਦਾ ਹਵਾਈ ਨਿਰੀਖਣ ਕੀਤਾ। ਅਧਿਕਾਰੀ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਵਿਤ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਦੀ ਸਹਾਇਤਾ ਲਈ ਦਿਨ-ਰਾਤ ਕੰਮ ਕਰ ਰਹੇ ਹਨ। ਇਸ ਚੁਣੌਤੀਪੂਰਨ ਸਮੇਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਾਡੀਆਂ ਸੰਵੇਦਨਾਵਾਂ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਹਨ। pic.twitter.com/rJP8nqEkhK
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 9, 2025
Key relief measures for Punjab include:
- Rs 1,600 crore immediate relief
- Advance release of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) installment
- Financial assistance for damaged borewells, roads, homes, and livestock
- PM Awas Yojana–Gramin support for destroyed rural homes
- Mini kits and aid under RKVY and Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan
- Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for deceased and Rs 50,000 for seriously injured
- Long-term care for orphaned children under PM CARES
PM Modi emphasized a multi-dimensional approach to recovery, covering housing, agriculture, education, infrastructure, and water management.
Met families affected by the severe floods in Punjab. We are working with urgency to provide relief and extend all possible support to every person who has suffered due to the floods. We are committed to extending all possible help to everyone, including farmers, whose well-being… pic.twitter.com/JsvMmbw824
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 9, 2025
Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar welcomed the move, while AAP CM Bhagwant Mann, currently recovering in hospital, had earlier requested a Rs 20,000 crore package.
Rs 1,500 Crore Aid for Himachal Pradesh
Earlier in the day, the PM conducted a survey of affected areas in Kangra, where he met Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, and other officials.
Key highlights from the visit:
- Rs 1,500 crore interim relief
- Advance release of SDRF and PM Kisan Samman Nidhi
- Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for the kin of deceased and Rs 50,000 for injured
- Special focus on rebuilding damaged infrastructure
CM Sukhu presented data showing Rs 5,000 crore in estimated losses, with 378 lives lost and 45 cloudbursts, 97 flash floods, and 137 landslides recorded this monsoon. The state has distributed Rs 15.12 crore in ex-gratia relief so far.
On my return from Himachal Pradesh and Punjab today, a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security discussed the developments in Nepal. The violence in Nepal is heart-rending. I am anguished that many young people have lost their lives. The stability, peace and prosperity of…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 9, 2025
The CM urged the PM to:
- Approve a special relief package
- Increase borrowing limit by 2%
- Amend Forest Rights Act to allow land allocation to displaced families
- Prioritize tunnel construction over long highways for climate resilience
While the Congress expressed dissatisfaction with the Rs 1,500 crore allocation, BJP leaders including Jai Ram Thakur and Anurag Thakur praised the Centre’s support.
