Flood victims demanding direct transfer of relief to their accounts: Union Minister Gurjar

Union Minister of State for Cooperation Krishan Pal Gurjar on Friday said that flood-affected people in Punjab have been demanding direct transfer of financial assistance to their accounts, reflecting their lack of faith in the state government’s ability to distribute relief transparently.

Addressing a press conference here, Gurjar said he had been touring flood-hit villages in the district since Wednesday and had interacted with numerous families who demanded direct transfer of aid to their accounts. “Most of the people I met told me that they wanted the Union Government to directly deposit relief money in their accounts. It seems they do not trust that aid sent by the Centre would actually reach them,” the Minister said.

However, Gurjar said that India’s federal structure mandates the Union Government to release relief funds to the state, which is responsible for disbursing them further. “Despite their concerns, we cannot bypass the state machinery. Funds have to be routed through the state government,” he added.

The Union Minister strongly criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government in Punjab, accusing it of failing to properly utilise the Rs 1,200 crore allocated under the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF). He alleged that the funds were meant for desilting rivers and strengthening earthen embankments, measures that could have minimised the scale of damage caused by the recent floods. “Had the AAP Government acted in time, the devastation could have been contained,” Gurjar said.

Highlighting the Centre’s support, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had already sanctioned Rs 1,600 crore as immediate ex gratia assistance for the state. He clarified that the amount was an interim grant and that the final compensation could increase once survey reports assessing the total losses were submitted.

Gurjar, who was accompanied by BJP state vice-president Subhash Sharma and party parliamentary board member Iqbal Singh Lalpura, also drew a comparison between Punjab and neighbouring Haryana, arguing that Punjab’s financial and developmental standing had declined over the years. “There was a time when Punjab was economically stronger than Haryana. Today Haryana has surpassed Punjab in most parameters of developments. This is the outcome of better governance in BJP-ruled states,” he said.