
Chandigarh: Amid the bitter tussle between the Centre and the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, Governor Gulab Chand Kataria has thrown his weight behind New Delhi on the issue of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms.
Speaking to reporters at an event, Kataria asserted that SDRF rules are framed for the entire country and cannot be altered to suit a single state. “Any revision must be a collective decision, not at the instance of one state,” he said.
The Governor also reiterated that ₹12,000 crore is available with the Punjab government under SDRF for relief and compensation — countering the AAP government’s repeated claims that the state has access to only around ₹6,000 crore.
The row comes at a time when Punjab is reeling from the worst floods in four decades. The state has demanded a change in SDRF norms to allow higher compensation for victims.
Earlier this week, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann met Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking a ₹20,000 crore special relief package, citing estimated losses of nearly ₹13,800 crore. Shah, however, stuck to the Centre’s stand that Punjab has enough in its SDRF kitty.
The Centre vs Punjab clash over flood relief funds is now widening, with victims caught in the middle of the political war.