GUWAHATI: The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on Tuesday announced a package of Rs 2350 crore for relief, rehabilitation and building flood mitigation infrastructure in the flood-affected North-Eastern states including Assam.
He also pledged to set up a high-powered committee to find a long-term solution to the flood problem in the region taking an all-encompassing and holistic vision.
The announcements came immediately after the PM chaired a series of high-level meetings in which the Prime Minister reviewed the flood situation and flood damages besides flood relief measures undertaken by the flood-affected state governments in the region.
“The PM announced that a high-powered committee would be set up to find a solution to the problem of flood and erosion. He said the committee would get in touch with even the flood-hit people in the ground . The Committee will also bring the neighbouring states of Assam and neighbouring country of Bhutan in the ambit pf the study as most of the rivers flowing to Assam valley comes downs from neighbouring hill states while the Brahmapura has its source in Tibet,” Assam’s Water Resources Minister Keshab Mahanta informed.
The Union Government will also provide Rs 100 crore for carrying out the study by the high-powered committee to synergize efforts towards finding time-bound long term solutions to recurrent floods in the region.
Through the course of the day, the Prime Minister held separate, detailed review meetings on the flood problem and current situation in the States of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland. The Chief Ministers of the respective States, and senior officials were present at the meetings. A memorandum was received from the Chief Minister of Mizoram, who could not make it to the meeting in person.
Out of the Rs 2350 crore announced by the PM, Rs 1200 crore will be given by the Union Government for the infrastructure sector alone with objective to build and improve flood mitigation infrastructure. The funds will be utilized for repair, maintenance, and strengthening of roads, highways, bridges, and other damaged infrastructure.
Rs 400 crore will be provided for improving the water holding capacity of the Brahmaputra River, the main channel in Assam that originates in Tibet Himalayas, in order to mitigate which will assist in flood control.
In the current financial year, the Union Government has approved Rs 600 crore as central share of SDRF for Assam. Out of this, Rs 350 crore has already been released, and the remaining Rs 250 crore (included in the total Rs 2350 crore package) will be released immediately, to assist the flood-hit state in relief and rehabilitation work.
The PM had already announced Rs two lakh ex-gratia against each of the flood caused death in Assam besides Rs 50,000 for each of the injured. So far total 83 persons have been killed in the latest wave of flood in Assam.