The finance minister made the figures public

The finance minister made the figures public, saying: “The center gave 1582 crore, not 12,000”.

The finance minister made the SDRF data public, saying: “The BJP is shining its politics more than addressing Punjab’s pain; they are misleading the public.”

According to data presented by Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday, the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) has only given the state government 1582 crore rupees from April 2022. The state has 12,000 crore rupees for flood relief, he added, but some opposition leaders are propagating a false narrative.

According to the data he made public, the state received 208 crores in 2022–2023; 645 crores in 2023–2024; 488 crores in 2024–2025; and 241 crores in 2025–2026. According to Cheema, 649 crore rupees of the 1582 crore rupees that the Centre has given them have gone towards relief and rehabilitation efforts.

This article focusses on the current political conflict between the opposition parties, especially the BJP, and Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over flood relief funds. The AAP government is making an effort to make clear how much money it actually receives from the federal government.

In his delivery of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) numbers on Thursday, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema claimed that certain opposition leaders, particularly those from the BJP, are purposefully misleading the public about flood relief. He claimed that they care more about their own political advantage than Punjab’s misery.

In response to the opposition’s assertion that the state had 12,000 crore rupees for flood relief, he stated that the state administration has only got 1582 crore rupees from the Centre since April 2022.

Based on the data he made public:

Of the 208 crores the state received in 2022–2023, 61 crores have already been spent.

Of the 645 crores it received in 2023–2024, 420 crores had already been spent.

Of the 488 crores it received in 2024–2025, 27 crores had already been spent.

It has now received 241 crores in 2025–2026, of which 140 crores have been spent.

According to Cheema, 649 crore rupees of the 1582 crore rupees that the Centre has given them have gone towards relief and rehabilitation efforts.

The ongoing political struggle between the opposition parties and Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over flood relief funds is highlighted in this article. The AAP government is making an effort to make clear how much money it actually receives from the federal government.