PM impressed by presentation

Still undecided on granting National Calamity tag

 
Chief Secretary S V Ranganath made the power-point presentation explaining the severity of the damage. The content of the presentation was prepared by a team of officials headed by Prof K V Raju, economic advisor to the CM. Ranganath received compliments from all the ministers the effective presentation. The government had also organised a photo exhibition to convey the gravity of the situation.

And, eventually the efforts yielded dividends. The PM expressed his satisfaction over the way the situation was conveyed to him. He has assured that the Centre would announce the final compensation package after verifying availability of funds in various departments.

Convinced

Chief Minister Yeddyurappa said that the PM was convinced that the State is in need of assistance to take up relief works in the affected areas. Asked whether he decided to consider the disaster a national calamity, the CM said, "He did not announce, but we continue to demand it."

A minister who was in the meeting said that the PM felt that the disaster was no lesser than a national calamity. The Centre would treat the situation at par with a national calamity, though not declared so officially.  KPCC president R V Deshpande and Leader of Opposition in the Council V S Ugrappa, who attended the meeting, appealed to the Prime Minister to make provision for construction of two lakh houses in the State under the Centre's Indira Awaz Yojna.

Dr Singh held a meeting with ministers, senior bureaucrats and representatives of the Congress at the District Training Institute in Raichur after his aerial survey of the flood-hit areas in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Union ministers S M Krishna, Veerappa Moily, Mallikarjun Kharge, ministers in state C M Udasi, Karunakara Reddy, Shobha Karandlaje, Dr V S Acharya, Suresh Kumar and people’s representatives of Raichur district were present in the meeting.