Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday began his visit to flood-hit areas in Punjab's Amritsar district, where he interacted with farmers affected by the deluge.
Earlier upon his arrival, Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria submitted a detailed report on the flood situation to Chouhan at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar.
Chouhan arrived at the Amritsar airport and is visiting some of the flood-hit areas in the state. The minister will visit villages in Amritsar, Gurdaspur, and Kapurthala districts and interact with affected farmers.
Chouhan, who was accompanied by Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar and party senior leader Tarun Chugh, reached Ajnala in Amritsar district and interacted with farmers.
During his interactions, the union minister took stock of the situation. A farmer there showed him the extensive damage caused to the crop. Chouhan even held the crop, which had been damaged after remaining submerged.
Earlier, Governor Kataria submitted the report on the flood situation in Amritsar, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, and Ferozepur districts, officials said.
After visiting all five flood-affected districts from September 1 to 4, the governor apprised Chouhan of the ground realities in these areas, highlighting the extensive damage caused to life, property, crops, and infrastructure due to floods.
He also briefed him about ongoing relief and rehabilitation measures being carried out jointly by the Punjab government, district administration, Army, NDRF, and other agencies.
Chouhan is on a tour of Punjab to meet flood-affected people and assess their immediate requirements. He will review the extent of crop damage with state officials and chalk out measures to extend assistance to farmers.
He has assured full support from the Union government in providing necessary assistance to the state for speedy relief and rehabilitation measures.
Later, Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian and MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal met Chouhan and submitted a memorandum to him, seeking Rs 2,000 crore as financial assistance in the first phase for the losses caused by floods in the Ajnala Assembly constituency. They also demanded release of the state's pending Rs 60,000 crore from the Centre.
Punjab is currently facing one of its worst flood disasters in decades. The floods are a result of swollen rivers, the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi, along with seasonal rivulets caused by heavy rainfall in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
Additional heavy rains in Punjab have intensified the flooding situation, aggravating the challenges faced by residents.
The deluge has claimed 37 lives so far and impacted over 3.55 lakh people. Crops over 1.75 lakh hectares of land have perished in the floods, officials stated.
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