The recent announcement of a ₹1,600 crore relief package for Punjab has been widely criticized as very meager and nothing more than a drop in the ocean. Punjab, which has been reeling under devastating floods, had high expectations from the Prime Minister, hoping for substantial financial aid to rebuild lives, repair infrastructure, and compensate farmers. However, the amount announced has left people deeply disappointed, with many calling it a betrayal of trust at a time when the state needed urgent and meaningful support.
At the same time, serious allegations are being leveled against the AAP government in Punjab regarding the misuse of the ₹12,000 crore State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF). Over the years, this fund had accumulated as a dedicated reserve to be used during calamities such as floods, yet questions are being raised about its current status. Instead of channeling this money toward flood-affected families and farmers, it is alleged that the state government has diverted the funds elsewhere. Critics demand that the AAP leadership be held accountable and insist on a criminal case against the state government for misusing and diverting SDRF money while people continue to suffer.
Observers argue that if the SDRF funds had been properly utilized, Punjab would not have been left in such a state of despair. Villagers stranded without food, farmers watching their crops drown, and thousands of families displaced by floodwaters are all left to wonder why relief money, meant precisely for such disasters, was not released in their time of greatest need. This failure has compounded public anger against both the state and central governments.
Furthermore, experts and local residents allege that official negligence and reckless excavation in riverbeds have played a major role in worsening the crisis. Over the years, deep and unchecked digging in rivers has altered their natural flow, creating conditions that led to the submergence of vast stretches of agricultural land during heavy rains. This man-made negligence, coupled with corruption in disaster funds, has created a double tragedy for Punjab’s people—natural fury made worse by political mismanagement.
The dual blame falls on both the Narendra Modi-led central government and the AAP state government. On one hand, the Centre is accused of announcing an inadequate package that fails to meet the state’s needs. On the other hand, the Punjab government is under fire for allegedly misusing the SDRF and betraying the trust of its own people. For the people of Punjab, the outcome is the same: continued suffering, broken promises, and the absence of effective relief.
Unless there is transparency and accountability in both state and central policies, the wounds of Punjab will only deepen. The demand is clear—justice for the flood-affected victims, accountability for the missing ₹12,000 crore, and a fair relief package that genuinely matches the scale of devastation. Anything less will only be seen as politics over people’s pain.