Chandigarh, Sept. 7 -- Punjab Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond on Sunday said that 40 villages in the state were affected by floods and relief operations were underway with rescue teams, administration and volunteers on the ground.

As of Saturday, 46 people have lost their lives due to floods in Punjab, according to the officials.

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that nearly 2,000 villages and over four lakh people have been affected.

He said that 24 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and two teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are on the ground, supported by 144 boats and a state government helicopter.

He added that the Revenue Department has released Rs 71 crore for relief efforts.

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