Chandigarh, Sept. 4 — Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday urged the Union Government to extend the same urgency in helping flood-hit Punjab as it has shown in sending humanitarian aid to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and questioned why relief supplies were dispatched swiftly across borders, while Punjab’s flood victims continue to await timely financial and humanitarian assistance.
“If humanitarian aid can be sent to Afghanistan, then why the hesitation in helping our own people?” Cheema asked in a statement issued here.
He said Punjab, a state that has consistently safeguarded India’s food security and economic stability, deserves immediate support in its worst floods in four decades.
Cheema appealed to the Centre to expedite relief packages, infrastructure support and rehabilitation measures for flood-affected families.
He reiterated that the state government is committed to every possible step to aid the victims.
Calling upon citizens to contribute generously to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, he assured that transparency and accountability will be maintained so that “every rupee reaches those who need it most.”
Alongside his demand for urgent flood relief, the Finance Minister also welcomed the Centre’s move to reduce Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates in favour of consumers.
Read more: GST slabs cut to two; essentials, insurance get cheaper
He said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had been demanding this reform from the beginning. “The new two-slab GST rate structure must translate into real benefits for the common people struggling with inflation,” Cheema said, stressing that the relief should reach households and not remain on paper.
Cheema, however, warned that lower GST rates would further reduce state revenues, making it vital for the Centre to continue compensating states as originally promised. He reminded that all states had supported the GST rollout on the condition that the Union government would make up for revenue losses until their economies stabilised.
“The economies of states are still not stable, and the latest GST rate cuts will have an additional impact,” he noted.
Calling for continuation of GST compensation, Cheema said such support is critical for ensuring fiscal balance in states already grappling with economic challenges and natural disasters.
He said that Punjab, currently facing one of its worst humanitarian crises in decades, needs both continued GST compensation and urgent financial aid from the Centre to rebuild lives and livelihoods.
