Centre approves Rs.1554.99 cr assistance to 5 States
Hyderabad: The Centre on Wednesday announced an additional financial assistance of Rs 231.75 crore to Telangana towards flood relief to address the damage caused by the heavy rain and floods between August 31 and September 8 last year.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had earlier submitted a detailed report to Central teams in September, after they visited the state to assess the extent of the flood damage. The report had outlined the devastating impact of the floods, which killed 37 persons and over one lakh cattle, apart from extensive damage to crops across 4.15 lakh acres. The state government had initially sought a financial package of Rs 11,713.49 crore to restore damaged infrastructure and support the affected communities.
The government received Rs 416.80 crore from the Centre in response to its appeal on October 44. On Wednesday, the Centre extended an additional Rs 231.75 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
Revanth Reddy had met Union home minister Amit Shah on October 7 seeking release of Rs 11,713.49 crore. Shah was briefed about the damage caused by the floods, including breaches to roads, culverts, causeways, ponds, and canals, and the need for financial support towards restoration of vital infrastructure.
A six-member team, led by NDMA adviser Col. K.P. Singh, was in Telangana from September 11 to 13 to assess the damage. It inspected the worst-hit districts, including Khammam, Mahbubabad, and Suryapet.
Revanth Reddy met the team on September 13 and submitted a report stating that Telangana had suffered losses of over Rs 11,000 crore and sought immediate and unconditional financial assistance of Rs 5,000 crore.
As the Centre’s aid was way below expectations, Reddy repeatedly accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of discriminating against Telangana in allocation of funds and projects to the state. At a recent TPCC meeting, he vowed to continue pressing the Centre for Telangana's rightful share of funds.
On Wednesday, the high-level committee, chaired by Amit Shah, approved Rs 1,554.99 crore in additional central assistance for the five flood-affected states. This included Rs 608.08 crore for Andhra Pradesh, Rs 170.99 crore for Nagaland, Rs 255.24 crore for Odisha, Rs 231.75 crore for Telangana and Rs. 288.93 crore for Tripura.
