Chennai, Dec 7: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed the Union Home Ministry to release Rs 450 crore, the second instalment to Tamil Nadu for cyclone relief, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said here on Thursday.
Following an aerial survey and a hi-level meeting with Chief Minister M K Stalin at the Secretariat, Singh said the first instalment of Rs 450 crore had been released earlier to the state.
The release of two instalments to Tamil Nadu is the Centre’s share in the State Disaster Response Fund.
“PM Modi is distressed by the loss of lives in TN due to rains, flood,” he said.
After the meeting with Singh, Stalin said a team from the Centre would soon visit the state to assess damage due to the cyclone.
He termed as ‘unseen before,’ the rains here and nearby areas and outlined the state’s relief initiatives on war-footing. In view of the government’s preventive measures, loss of lives and damage has been avoided to a large extent.
The CM said relief work would continue to go on in full swing to bring normalcy in all the affected areas. Chennai city has started returning to normalcy.
The Union Minister said the problem of urban floods has become repetitive in Chennai in recent years and the Government of India has approved a Central funding of Rs 500 crore for urban flood management activities.
The Centre has approved the first urban flood mitigation project of Rs 561.29 crore for “Integrated Urban Flood Management activities for Chennai Basin Project,” under the National Disaster Mitigation Fund, which includes the Central assistance of Rs 500 crore.
The state government has already sought an interim Central relief of Rs 5,060 crore. (PTI)
