Chandigarh, Sept 11 — The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab on Thursday made public the official figures of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), alleging that the data exposes what it described as “misleading propaganda” by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regarding disaster relief funds.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, while addressing the press, said the state has received a total of ₹1,582 crore under SDRF from the Centre since April 1, 2022. Out of this, ₹649 crore has already been used for relief and rehabilitation, while the balance continues to fund ongoing flood-related work.
He also shared a year-wise breakup of SDRF allocations and spending:
2022-23: ₹208 crore received, ₹61 crore spent
2023-24: ₹645 crore received, ₹420 crore spent
2024-25: ₹488 crore received, ₹27 crore spent
2025-26 (till September 10): ₹241 crore received, ₹140 crore spent
Cheema accused BJP leaders of intentionally creating confusion over disaster relief funds. He said AAP had chosen to publish the official data to uphold transparency and accountability.
The minister also challenged BJP leaders to disclose the Centre’s own year-wise contributions to SDRF and further alleged that the Union government continues to withhold “thousands of crores of Punjab’s rightful share” under different heads.
The BJP has not yet issued a formal response to AAP’s charges.
