Prime Minister Narendra Modi will soon visit flood-affected areas in North India to take stock of the situation, reported PTI, quoting official sources.
Heavy rains have severely impacted lives in many parts of North India, including Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Uttarakhand. The natural calamities have claimed scores of lives and damaged infrastructure, including roads and highways.
According to the report, the Prime Minister will visit a few of these areas to take stock of the situation amid demands from some state governments for Central funds to deal with the crisis.
Officials said Modi had spoken with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann shortly after returning from his overseas visits to Japan and China. The Centre, they added, has been extending assistance to states grappling with the crisis, with relief and rescue efforts continuing around the clock.
Punjab has been among the worst affected, with the death toll rising to 43 on Friday. The Department of Information and Public Relations reported casualties across several districts: Amritsar (5), Barnala (5), Bathinda (4), Fazilka (1), Ferozepur (1), Gurdaspur (2), Hoshiarpur (7), Mansa (3), Pathankot (6), Patiala (1), Rupnagar (1), Sangrur (1), SAS Nagar (2) and Ludhiana (4). Three people remain missing.
To strengthen medical support, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi has deployed a specialised team of doctors and nurses to Punjab and other flood-hit regions in northern India. The team is tasked with providing both medical aid and humanitarian assistance to those in dire need.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah visited Jammu on September 1 to assess the damage first-hand. He inspected flood and landslide-affected areas, including the Tawi Bridge at Bikram Chowk, the Shiv Temple, and several homes that had been washed away. Shah also met families in Mangu Chak village, offering reassurance and pledging sustained relief efforts.
Following his visit, the Home Minister chaired a high-level meeting to review the evolving situation and direct further measures to speed up rehabilitation.
