Bihar flood fury: Nitish seeks Rs 7,636 cr assistance from Centre

September 11, 2017 18:43

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said a memorandum has been sent to the Centre seeking an assistance of Rs 7,636 crore on account of floods in 19 districts of the state that claimed 514 lives and left behind a trail of destruction.

According to official sources, the Centre, without any delay, has informed the state government about the visit of an inter-ministerial team for on-the-spot assessment of thesituation.

The team, for assessment of damage caused by the floods, would be headed by Mukesh Mittal, the joint secretary in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

It would have representatives from the ministries of agriculture and farmers welfare, finance, rural development, drinking water and sanitation, road transport and highways and water resources.

Speaking to reporters after the weekly 'Lok Samvad' (public interaction) programme in Patna, Kumar said, "A memorandum of Rs 7,636 crore prepared with pragmatic approach has been send to the Centre for assistance to carry rehabilitation and restoration work in 19 districts that faced inundation."

"The memorandum, incorporating details of damage to crops, houses, damaged roads and other items, has been prepared in a pragmatic manner and not like a thick piece of document consisting of impractical details," he said.

Kumar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi after aerial survey of flood-hit districts of Purnea, Kisanganj, Araria and Katihar on August 26 had announced immediate assistance of Rs 500 crore and promised that the Centre would provide more funds after getting reports of damage caused.

He took potshots at leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and other Congress leaders for mocking the prime minister's announcement of Rs 500 crore earlier, which they had said was half the amount that the UPA government had provided to the state after the floods in 2008.

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