Chandigarh, Sept. 13 -- Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged Rs.12,000 crore as already available in the state's kitty for disaster relief, chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday dismissed the claim, stating that his government had received only Rs.1,582 crore during its tenure, of which Rs.649 crore had been spent.

Mann, addressing his first press conference after being discharged from the hospital, said they (the central government) claim that this is the amount received by the state over the years, but where is it? Chief secretary KAP Sinha, who was present, also said that the figure of Rs.12,000 crore existed only as entries in accounts.

A perusal of official records shows that, as per finance accounts, an amount of Rs.8,...