Kochi, August 12: Terming the flood situation in Kerala following heavy rains as something never witnessed by the state since Independence, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Sunday announced Rs 100 crore as immediate central relief.
The minister, who made an aerial survey of badly affected areas in Idukki and Ernakulam
districts, said the rains and floods had caused ‘massive damage’ to the farm sector and infrastructure like roads and power.
“Kerala is facing an unprecedented flood situation. It is unprecedented because never before in the history of independent India has Kerala witnessed such massive floods,” he said. He was speaking after reviewing the situation with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Minister of State for Tourism Alphons Kannanthanam, state ministers and senior officials. Singh assured all help from the Centre to meet the ‘very serious situation’. “I understand the suffering of the people of Kerala from the present crisis. Since assessment of the damage will take time, I hereby announce immediate relief as advance of Rs 100 crore,” the Minister said. The state government submitted a memorandum to Singh, seeking urgent sanction of Rs 1,220 crore from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) to meet the situation. In the memorandum, the Chief Minister said preliminary estimates suggested that Kerala suffered a loss of Rs 8,316 crore in the rains, floods and landslides. Singh recalled the flood situation in Kerala last month and said that just before he came to the state today, he sanctioned release of the second instalment of Rs 80.25 crore in advance for the State Disaster Relief Fund. The first instalment of a similar amount of the Central share of SDRF for 2018-19 was released last month, he said in a statement.
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