New Delhi: After visiting flood-hit Punjab, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today said the central government will work on short, medium and long-term plans to pull the border state out of the current crisis. Describing the situation in Punjab as serious, Chouhan said he will present a detailed ground assessment report on the damage to fields, farmers and livestock to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Centre will come up with a comprehensive relief and rehabilitation package.
Mr. Chouhan said, "Prime Minister Modi is very concerned about the situation in Punjab. It was on his instructions that I visited the state yesterday. There is a flood situation in Punjab, crops have been damaged. The Central Government stands with the people and farmers of Punjab in this hour of grief." He said that the need of the hour is the planned redevelopment of the flood-affected areas of the state. The minister said, "To get Punjab out of the current crisis, we need a short, medium and long-term plan. The crisis is huge but we will leave no stone unturned to get the state out of it. It is also important that the AAP government in Punjab works at the ground level with full seriousness." He said that once the water recedes, there will be a risk of infections. Chouhan said, "I saw the spirit of service of Punjab, how social workers are going from village to village to distribute relief, food, clothes and medicines. I salute the spirit of service of Punjab. Serving a distressed person is equal to worshipping God. Neighbouring states have also come forward to help. This sense of unity in times of crisis gives us the strength to overcome all difficulties.’’
The minister recalled that when late A B Vajpayee was the Prime Minister and late Parkash Singh Badal was the Chief Minister of Punjab, the Centre had built embankments around major rivers Sutlej, Beas, Ravi and Ghaggar to save fields and crops in times of crisis.
“Due to illegal mining, these embankments have become weak and water has entered the villages. We need to restore these embankments to prevent future crises,” Chouhan said after assessing the situation in Punjab’s Amritsar, Pathankot and Gurdaspur belts.