The 45-year-old is a member of the Rajya Sabha from Punjab and spoke about the importance of engaging with people and addressing issues with the government.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Speaking to IANS, Harbhajan said that he has done his best for the flood-affected villages of Punjab and will continue to give his all to help the people of his country overcome adversity.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThere are some issues that I feel are important, whether they\u2019re about sports or beyond. I try to speak up about them (to the government). But you don\u2019t always get the opportunity\u2014time is limited. On paper, we send these issues every day, but getting a chance to speak in the House is difficult. Recently, when the floods happened in Punjab, I was among the people there and present on the ground. For me, it matters when my people are taken care of\u2014if they\u2019re safe and have facilities, I feel good. I try to stay connected with them and help where I can.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI\u2019ve done everything I could. From rescuing people to arranging food and diesel\u2014whatever help we could offer, we did. I\u2019m returning to Punjab again, and I will do everything I can for the people,\u201d Harbhajan said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The former spinner also mentioned that 16 villages in his state were severely affected by floods, and he, along with his friends, will be sponsoring the education of children from these villages.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He noted that the farmers couldn\u2019t earn much due to the damage caused to their crops, which is why he and his friends decided to provide financial assistance to their children for a year to ensure their education isn\u2019t disrupted. He also added that he\u2019ll continue to support them financially if the farmers are unable to restart their farming.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThere are 16 villages affected by floods; the water level rose massively. The children there are the ones I worry about for the coming time because their education has been disrupted. Farmers will only have money to pay school fees when they sell their crops. But there are no crops now, and the land itself is damaged, so there\u2019s no money. They will take loans from the bank to sow again.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He noted that the farmers couldn\u2019t earn much due to the damage caused to their crops, which is why he and his friends decided to provide financial assistance to their children for a year to ensure their education isn\u2019t disrupted. He also added that he\u2019ll continue to support them financially if the farmers are unable to restart their farming.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI wanted to ensure that the children\u2019s education wasn\u2019t compromised. I would advise people to allocate a portion of their earnings to organisations that support communities affected by disasters, and stand with them when they are in need,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n