Congress MP Rahul Gandhi arrives at Punjab

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], September 15 (ANI): Congress MP and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has reached flood-affected Punjab, arriving at Amritsar on Monday. During his visit, he is set to visit the flood-affected areas of the state.
Earlier Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) President Amrinder Singh Raja Warring had described the ongoing floods in the state as a man-made disaster.
Warring said ,"It is a man-made disaster in Punjab... When Shivraj Chouhan came here, he did nothing except place blame... AAP is doing nothing for the people of Punjab"
Meanwhil, Punjab Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian, on Saturday, directed all concerned officials to carry out the exercise in a transparent, time-bound and result-oriented manner to ensure that no affected family is left out from receiving rightful compensation.
According to Mundian, this drive was launched in line with the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, who has assured that every flood victim in Punjab will receive compensation within 45 days. He emphasised that compensation is not a favour but the right of the affected people.
Under this drive, farmers were supposed to receive compensation of Rs. 20,000 per acre for crop loss, while families whose houses had collapsed were supposed to get Rs. 1,20,000, and those with partially damaged houses were supposed to get Rs . 40,000. Likewise, livestock losses were to be compensated as per approved norms, including Rs 37,500 for cows or buffaloes and Rs 4,000 for goats.
Earlier, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu paid a courtesy call on Punjab Governor and Administrator, UT Chandigarh, Gulab Chand Kataria in Chandigarh. During the meeting, both dignitaries held detailed discussions on the recent flood situation in Punjab and the ongoing relief and rehabilitation operations. These discussions also included the assessment of damages to lives, houses, crops, and livestock in the state.
Meanwhile, according to the latest flood report,1,98,525 hectares of total crop area have been affected in Punjab with major losses reported in Gurdaspur (40,169 hectares), Patiala (17,690 hectares), Tarn Taran (12,828 hectares), Fazilka (25,182 hectares), Ferozepur (17,257 hectares) and Kapurthala (17,574 hectares), etc.
According to Punjab Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister Hardeep Singh, the total death toll due to floods in Punjab has reached 56 across the state to date. (ANI)