Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], September 23 (ANI): In a remarkable gesture of solidarity, leading industrialists of Punjab have come forward to extend financial assistance for the rehabilitation of people devastated by the recent floods in the state. Collectively, the entrepreneurs handed over cheques amounting to nearly Rs 6 crore to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann under the Chief Minister Rangla Punjab Fund.
Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora also set an example by personally contributing 50 lakh towards relief and rehabilitation efforts.
While addressing the media, Sanjeev Arora highlighted the scale of destruction caused by the catastrophic floods, describing them as one of the worst natural calamities in the state’s history. He informed that more than 2,300 villages were submerged, affecting over 2 million people and destroying crops spread across five lakh acres of land. He said that the floods have so far claimed 56 lives and rendered nearly seven lakh people homeless. The disaster also caused severe damage to essential infrastructure, with 3,200 government schools destroyed, 19 colleges reduced to rubble, 1,400 clinics and hospitals ruined, 8,500 kilometres of roads washed away, and nearly 2,500 bridges collapsing. The Cabinet Minister pointed out that the estimated damage stands at ₹14,000 crore, although the actual figure could be much higher.
According to Arora, the contributions made by industrialists reflected their commitment to the welfare of Punjab and the people in distress. He personally led the initiative by donating ₹50 lakh and coordinated with the industrial community to support the cause. Prominent industrialists who extended their help included Kamal Oswal of the Monte Carlo Group and Mega Garg of Happy Forging, both of whom donated one crore each. M.P. Sehgal of Ceigall India Pvt. Ltd. contributed 50 lakh, while Abhishek Arora of Octave Apparels and Neeraj Jain of Vardhman Spinning Mills also donated ₹50 lakh each. Deepak Nanda of the Trident Group joined the effort with a contribution of ₹50 lakh, followed by Gurwinder Bhatti of GB Realty with ₹25 lakh. Other donors included Parveen Goyal of Bector Foods (Cremica) with ₹20 lakh, Sidharath Khanna of Ari Sudana Spinning Mills with ₹20 lakh, Suman Munjhal of Rockman Foundation with ₹10 lakh, Upkar Singh Ahuja, President of CICU, with ₹5 lakh, and Sanjeev Pahwa of Ralson with 2.5 lakh.
The Cabinet Minister expressed his gratitude to all the entrepreneurs who generously contributed to the Chief Minister’s fund and acknowledged their spirit of social responsibility in this hour of crisis. He appealed to other industrialists and business leaders of Punjab to come forward and extend similar support so that adequate resources can be mobilised for the relief, rehabilitation, and rebuilding of flood-affected areas. He reaffirmed that the state government, with the cooperation of citizens and industry, is determined to restore normalcy as soon as possible and ensure that the affected people receive the assistance they urgently need. (ANI)
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