Punjab Desk
4 September
Journalist Sandeep Dhand
Tv10punjab
Union Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited the flood-affected areas of Gurdaspur district, including Dera Baba Nanak and Bahirampur, to assess the damage caused by recent floods. He was accompanied by Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu and Punjab’s Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian.
During his visit to village Dharmkot Randhawa near Dera Baba Nanak, Chouhan interacted with flood-hit families. He said that crops and livestock had suffered heavy losses due to the floods. He assured the villagers that the central government was closely evaluating the damage and promised that farmers and all affected people would receive every possible assistance. Later, the Union Minister even rode a tractor to reach Dharmkot Pattan, where he met more affected families, before continuing his visit to Bahirampur.
Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, who accompanied Chouhan, highlighted the grave situation faced by farmers in Punjab. He said that paddy and other crops were badly damaged, while many farmers also lost livestock. Khuddian added that the Punjab government was already running relief operations and supporting people at its own level. He informed that the state had released a total of ₹71 crore for flood relief. Out of this, ₹35.50 crore had been released earlier to all districts, while another ₹35.50 crore was now allocated to the 12 worst-affected districts.
Khuddian also urged the Union Minister to provide a special relief package from the central government for Punjab, considering the scale of destruction. Local MLA Gurdeep Singh Randhawa handed over a memorandum to Chouhan, appealing for maximum support from the Centre to help flood-affected families rebuild their lives.
The visit gave hope to villagers that both state and central governments would work together to ensure relief and rehabilitation.