JOIN USState seeks Rs 18,568-cr flood relief from Centre
The prime minister offered full support to the efforts of the State government and promised to reexamine the norms governing the Centre’s natural calamity assistance to states.
Replying to the State’s demand for an immediate assistance of Rs 9,250 crore to mitigate people’s sufferings and for relief work, the prime minister said he would act as soon as the Central study team, which arrived in the State on Tuesday evening, submitted its report.
Yeddyurappa said Rs 9,250 crore would be 50 per cent of the total assistance sought by the State, adding that he had requested the prime minister to immediately release the fund. He also said that under the National calamity contingency fund (NCCF) norms, the State was eligible for one-third of the amount sought, which in this case comes to Rs 6,665 crore.
The chief minister also sought a waiver of loans availed of by farmers as they were not in a position to repay the debt.
Yeddyurappa, who led a State delegation to the prime minister, said his meeting with Singh was successful, and that it exceeded his expectations. The chief minister was fulsome in his praise for Singh. “I am quite happy about the meeting. The prime minister assured us full assistance and support. He agreed to relax the NCCF.”
Yeddyurappa, who was accompanied by Union ministers M Veerappa Moily, M Mallikarjun Kharge and K H Muniyappa, also met finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and home minister P Chidambaram. According to the chief minister, Chidambaram told the delegation that the State’s request for relief would be immediately addressed.
The State government has so far released Rs 1,007 crore of which about Rs 700 crore has already been spent. Yeddyurappa requested the prime minister and the two Union ministers to immediately release the Rs 1,000 crore promised by Singh on his visit to the State.
In its detailed memorandum, the State has said that about 1.8 crore people from 18 districts were affected directly or indirectly by the floods. The number of deaths has been put at 229. Standing crops on 22 lakh hectares have been destroyed and 6.55 lakh houses have collapsed, rendering over 7 lakh people homeless.