Chandigarh, 2 October (IANS) Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday reacted strongly to the statement of Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, who said that the State Government is considering the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) as its fund and no change in the rules is possible on its use.
In a statement, AAP leader Baltage Pannu and spokesperson Neil Garg, the governor’s statement and the center’s stance unnecessarily, noted that SDRF is inevitably the State Disaster Relief Fund.
“The central government keeps this fund fine for the states so that it can be used during disasters or emergency conditions.”
The AAP leaders accused the BJP -led Center of hiding behind the rules, when the fury of nature is very serious, saying that the center only “does not want to stand with Punjab during its biggest disaster”.
Pannu, while interrogating the governor, said: “When the Prime Minister can meet a governor again and again, but does not leave time to meet an elected Chief Minister, where does this rule of ‘elected’ versus ‘selected’ apply actually?”
AAP spokesperson Garg described the governor and the center’s stance as “completely opposed to”.
Saying that in any welfare state, “rules are always prepared for the welfare of the people”, he reported that the SDRF rules were implicated in 2010, but the inflation has been three times since then.
“Therefore, in today’s time, compensation of Rs 6,800 per acre is unacceptable, especially when the diesel rate was only Rs 38 per liter.”
He regretted that even after one and a half month Chief Minister Bhagwant Maan, no response has been given, writing a letter to the Prime Minister.
Garg emphasized the statements of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the governor only indicates that the center is “not in the mood to change the SDRF rules”.
Advising the Center to quit its stubborn attitude, he said that “if we really want to help people, the rules should be modified according to the current requirements”.
The AAP urged the central government to think of people like an oriented government and amend the rules without any delay to help the people of Punjab.
,
GG/VD