Lakhowal slams Centre’s Rs 1,600 cr flood relief package

The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal) has criticised the Rs 1,600-crore flood relief package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the state, calling it “grossly inadequate” and “a cruel joke” on the state’s farmers and labourers, who are reeling under the impact of the devastating floods.

In a press statement, BKU Lakhowal’s state president Harinder Singh Lakhowal said the PM’s aerial survey of flood-hit regions and the subsequent announcement of the package had failed to reflect the scale of destruction in the state. “We’ve been demanding a minimum compensation of Rs 70,000 per acre for farmers, along with separate relief for damaged homes and livestock. What we got instead is a token amount that mocks the suffering of Punjab’s rural population,” Lakhowal stated.

He pointed out that over 4 lakh acres of farmland had been ravaged, and the Rs 1,600 crore package fell far short of addressing the actual losses. “Even Himachal Pradesh, which suffered less agricultural damage, was granted Rs 1,500 crore. Punjab’s losses are four times greater, yet the Centre has ignored the ground reality,” he added.

Lakhowal also questioned the silence of Punjab’s BJP leadership, including state president Sunil Jakhar and Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, for not raising objections to the low compensation. “The BJP leaders have been demanding a compensation of Rs 50,000 per acre from the Punjab Government, but now they must explain how Rs 1,600 crore will cover the losses across lakhs of acres,” he said.

The BKU leader accused the Centre of making Punjabis feel like outsiders in their own country. He demanded that the Central Government immediately announce a revised package of at least Rs 60,000 crore, waive farm and labour debts, provide free seeds and fertilisers for the next sowing season, and declare Punjab a special flood-affected state to ensure the maximum financial relief.