PM announces Rs 500Crs.Cyclone Relief for Odisha after Aerial Survey
Bureau,Odishabarta
Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced financial assistance of Rs 500 Crs.to Odisha.
The announcement was made after Modi undertook an aerial survey of Odisha’s Bhadrak and Balasore districts which bore the brunt of the cyclone.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik demanded long term solutions for problems of repeated cyclones and provision of disaster-resilient power systems,
Worst affected Odisha would get Rs 500 crore immediately,and another Rs 500 crore would be given to West Bengal and Jharkhand, which would be released on the basis of the damage, officials said. The Central Government will also deploy an inter-ministerial team to visit the Yaas-affected States to assess the extent of damage, and further assistance will be given to them based on the report of the team.
Modi also announced ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 to each of the seriously injured in the cyclone. While three persons, including a woman, were killed during the cyclone in Odisha, another person died in West Bengal.
Cyclone Yaas, packing wind gusting to 145 kmph, whiplashed parts of India’s eastern coast on Wednesday, leaving behind a trail of damaged homes and flooded farmland, forcing more than 21 lakh people to be evacuated to safe shelters in West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand.
The Prime Minister expressed solidarity with all those who suffered due to the cyclone and expressed deep sorrow to the families who have lost their kin in the calamity. Modi said, “We have to continue the focus towards more scientific management of disasters. As the frequency and impact of cyclonic systems are increasing in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, communication systems, mitigation efforts and preparedness have to undergo a major change.” Cyclone Yaas came from the Bay of Bengal to hit India’s east coast days after cyclone Tauktae, which originated in the Arabian Sea, barrelled through the western States. The Prime Minister also spoke about the importance of building trust among people for better cooperation in relief efforts. He appreciated the preparedness and disaster management activities by Odisha Government which has resulted in minimal loss of lives.
In the review meeting, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik thanked the Prime Minister for his immediate visit to the cyclone-hit State and stressed long-term solutions to the problem as Odisha is frequently hit by major calamities like cyclones.
Naveen sought both a disaster resilient power infrastructure and a permanent solution to protect the coastal region from storm surges which accompany cyclones, Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jena said.
The Chief Minister categorically said that both the Centre and the State should join hands to work for the protection from the danger of storm surge, which this time saw ingress of saline water to over 120 villages in the coastal districts, Jena said.
