The Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab strongly pushed back on Friday against what it described as fabricated claims by BJP leaders concerning the State Disaster Response Fund. To set the record straight, the party placed verified financial data before the public, asserting that every transaction from the fund has been transparent.
Punjab Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema accused the BJP of deliberately spreading misinformation to confuse citizens about how disaster relief funds have been managed. According to him, the state has nothing to hide, as each rupee received from the Union government and every amount spent has been placed in the public domain for accountability.
Providing detailed figures, Cheema explained how much Punjab received under the SDRF from the central government and how much was spent year by year. During 2022–23, the state was given Rs 208 crore, out of which Rs 61 crore was used. In 2023–24, Rs 645 crore was received and Rs 420 crore was spent. In 2024–25, Rs 488 crore came in with Rs 27 crore used. And in 2025–26, Rs 241 crore was released, with Rs 140 crore already spent.
Altogether, between April 1, 2022, and September 10, 2025, Punjab received Rs 1,582 crore under the SDRF. Out of this, Rs 649 crore has already been used for relief and rehabilitation, while the remaining amount is earmarked for ongoing and upcoming assistance, including aid for families hit by devastating floods.
Cheema went on to lash out at BJP leaders, claiming they were engaging in a cynical attempt to malign Punjab’s government at a time of crisis. He declared that those who have historically ignored Punjab’s interests have no right to lecture others, accusing the BJP of running a misleading campaign purely for political advantage.
He further challenged the BJP to explain why the Union government has been holding back thousands of crores that belong to Punjab under different financial heads, while simultaneously trying to paint a false picture regarding the disaster relief fund.
