By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/GOWHATI: The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on Tuesday announced a relief package of over Rs. 2000 crore for relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction and flood mitigation measures in the flood-affected North-Eastern states.
The announcement came at the end of a series of high level meetings, where the Prime Minister reviewed the flood situation, and relief measures in the States.
Through the course of the day, the Prime Minister held separate, detailed review meetings on the situation in the States of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland.
The Chief Ministers of the respective States, and senior officials were present at the meetings. A memorandum was received from the Chief Minister of Mizoram, who could not make it to the meeting in person.
Over Rs. 1200 crore will be given by the Union Government for the infrastructure sector alone. The funds will be utilized for repair, maintenance, and strengthening of roads, highways, bridges, and other damaged infrastructure.
Rs. 400 crore will be provided for improving the water holding capacity of the Brahmaputra River, which will assist in flood control.
In the current financial year, the Union Government has approved Rs. 600 crore as central share of SDRF. Out of this, Rs. 345 crore has already been released, and the remaining will be released immediately, to assist the States in relief and rehabilitation work.
The Union Government will also provide Rs. 100 crore for carrying out a study to synergize efforts towards finding time-bound long term solutions to recurrent floods in the region.
The North-Eastern region, with eight percent of India’s land area, contains one-third of the country’s water resources. The Union Government will constitute a High Level Committee, with representation from Ministries of the Government of India and the States, for proper management of the region’s vast water resources.
An ex-gratia assistance of Rs. 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased, and Rs. 50,000/- to each of those seriously injured due to the floods, has been sanctioned under the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).
