Punjabi singer-songwriter-actor Guru Randhawa has stepped forward to help the victims of the deluge in his home state Punjab.
Guru has assured support to the farmers of Punjab, announcing that once the floodwaters recede and life begins to stabilize, he will distribute wheat seeds to all flood-affected farmers enabling them to restart farming and rebuild their lives with dignity.
Wheat is one of the important crops of India with Punjab being the third highest wheat producing state of country, harvesting 17.74 million tonnes of wheat every year, as per the data of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare for the 2023–24 crop year. Punjab contributes 15-20% of wheat production in India.
Guru’s initiative will in turn help the country get back on its feet in terms of production of one its prime crops.
Talking about the same, Guru said, “When this flood ends and the water level goes down, I will distribute wheat seeds to the flood-affected villages so that the next crop can be sown, and people can make a fresh start”.
Earlier, he had promised to rebuild the broken house of a mother who lost her shelter to the devastating floods. The singer-songwriter-actor has always stood by his people in times of crisis.
The Indian state of Punjab has endured its worst floods in over 4 decades. THe flash floods have hit over 1,400 villages with more than 30 fatalities and 250,000–350,000 people affected.
The Hardest-hit districts included Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Pathankot, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Hoshiarpur, Moga, Sangrur, Barnala, Patiala, and Mohali.
The flooding was triggered by monsoon deluges and upstream water release from dams atop the rivers such as Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej, along with swollen seasonal rivulets. The rescue operations are underway across the state.