A war of words broke out between the Punjab government and the Centre on Friday over the pending Rural Development Fund (RDF) amounting to ₹9,821 crore after Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the state had always received the funds as per rules and assured that Punjab would face no discrimination in their release. The statement drew a sharp response from finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who termed Chouhan’s statement “highly irresponsible and misleading.”
Chouhan, who was in Chandigarh to launch the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)-based Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system, said the Punjab government could approach him with its concerns. “Punjab is the pride of the entire country. There has never been any discrimination against the state. They can come and speak to me. I am always ready to talk to them. I invite the state ministers to come and talk to me. They do not come, so I will go to them now,” he said at a press conference in response to a question regarding the Punjab government’s repeated claims that the Centre had withheld the state’s RDF.
Finance minister Cheema refuted Chouhan’s claim and said the Punjab government had repeatedly raised the issue of RDF with the Centre at every available platform.
Detailing the efforts made by the state government, Cheema, during a press conference, said that he, along with cabinet minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, met Union minister Pralhad Joshi on November 28, 2024, seeking the release of funds. Then chief minister Bhagwant Mann met the central minister on July 17 to reiterate the demand, he said.
The AAP minister said that he then sent an official letter to the Centre on March 14, 2026, after Joshi had assured the state that he would hold a meeting with Shah and Sitharaman to discuss the matter. “Despite this, neither have the funds been released nor has any positive step been taken,” he added, expressing surprise that a senior central minister was “misleading” the people of Punjab. He said the central government procures wheat and paddy at minimum support price (MSP), for which 3% RDF is to be provided as per the rules.
