Gurdaspur, September 11: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday conducted an aerial survey of flood-ravaged Punjab, where the worst deluge since 1988 has killed 51 people, damaged crops across vast tracts of farmland and left hundreds of thousands affected, officials said.
Modi, on a day-long visit to Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to assess flood damage, landed in Gurdaspur, one of the hardest-hit districts, after his survey. He met displaced families as well as members of the National and State Disaster Response Forces and chaired a review meeting with state officials and ministers.
“The Government of India stands shoulder to shoulder with those affected in this tragic hour,” Modi wrote earlier on X before departing Delhi.
Punjab, a key farm state, has been battered by swollen rivers — the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi — and heavy rainfall in catchment areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. According to the state government, floods have impacted more than 3.87 lakh people in 15 districts, damaged crops on 1.84 lakh hectares, and caused estimated losses exceeding ₹13,000 crore ($1.55 billion).
A total of 2,064 villages have been hit, including 329 in Gurdaspur alone. More than 23,000 people have been evacuated to safety, with the worst damage reported from Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Tarn Taran and Pathankot districts.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, currently hospitalised after health concerns, had urged Modi to announce a relief package of at least ₹20,000 crore during his visit. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who visited flood-hit districts last week, described the devastation as a “jal pralai” (water calamity) and assured farmers that the Centre would provide support.
