CHANDIGARH, September 23 — The Punjab government has turned to Non-Resident Indians and local industrialists for financial assistance to rebuild infrastructure devastated by recent floods, officials said Tuesday.
NRI Affairs Minister Sanjeev Arora said the newly launched Rangla Punjab Vikas Fund will channel contributions toward repairing damaged roads, schools, health centers, and other government buildings across the state.
“Thousands of kilometers of roads have been damaged, while schools, health centers, and departmental buildings have also suffered heavy losses,” Arora noted. “Punjab needs substantial funds to reconstruct these facilities.”
Arora announced he had personally contributed ₹50 lakh to the fund and urged others to follow suit. “Since donations made to the fund are exempt from the Foreign Currency Regulations Act and also count toward Corporate Social Responsibility spending of companies, I request more and more NRIs and corporates to donate to this fund,” he said.
Officials said the government expects contributions from both within India and abroad to provide a major boost for recovery efforts, particularly in severely affected districts.
