Chandigarh, Sept 11 — Punjab finance minister Harpal Cheema on Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of misleading the public over the state’s use of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
In an official statement, Cheema released figures of central allocations and expenditure under the SDRF since April 2022. “Under the SDRF, the state in the 2022-23 fiscal received ₹208 crore and spent ₹61 crore. In 2023-24, ₹645 crore was received, whereas ₹420 crore was spent. In 2024-25, ₹488 crore was received, whereas ₹27 crore was spent, and in 2025-26, ₹241 crore was received, whereas ₹140 crore was spent,” he said.
Cheema said from April 1, 2022, to September 10, 2025, the Punjab government received a total of ₹1,582 crore from the Centre under the SDRF. “Out of this, ₹649 crore has already been spent on various relief and rehabilitation works across the state, while the remaining balance is being used for ongoing and upcoming relief operations to ensure timely assistance to flood-affected people,” he added.
Slamming the BJP, Cheema alleged the party was running a “malicious campaign” by twisting facts. “Those who never stood for Punjab and its rights have no moral right to question us. They have been hiding the real facts, and misleading the people in times of crisis just to score political points. This is not just irresponsible, it is shameful, even by the BJP’s standards,” he said.
