Assam Floods: Rs 72 crore for utensils & clothes among flood-hit

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: For the first time, State Government will pay GR (gratuitous relief) for clothes and utensils in a big way from tomorrow or the day after. The flood-affected families will buy clothes and utensils with this relief from the SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund).

The State Government has estimated Rs 72 crore for GR payment to buy clothes and utensils. The flood-affected families losing utensils and clothes to date in this monsoon will get Rs 3,800.

According to statistics available with the Revenue and Disaster Management (R&DM) Department, the affected districts with their respective number of affected families eligible for getting relief for utensils and clothes are Nagaon-38,662, Barpeta-23,000, Cachar-13,019, Darrang-13,384, Goalpara-14,700, Hojai-17,400, Kamrup-8,299, Karimganj-5,594, Morigaon-9,882, Nalbari -10,000, Udalguri-4,097, Bajali-3,376, Baksa-4,532 and Chirang-4,800.

Talking to The Sentinel, Revenue and Disaster Management (R&DM) Minister Jogen Mohan said, "Following instruction from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, each affected family that has lost utensils and clothes will get Rs 3,800 GR for buying utensils and clothes from the SDRF. We have estimated Rs 72 crore for GR payment. If needed, the government will release more funds for GR payment."

The Minister said, "The Government stands beside affected families in distress. When I visited the flood-affected areas, I witnessed the plight of people who lost their clothes and utensils. In this phase, we will pay the gratuitous relief for buying clothes and utensils. In the next phase, we will pay the rehabilitation grants against the damage to houses and other property. We have already asked the deputy commissioners to assess such damage. The damage assessment is nearing completion."

Meanwhile, the flood is subsiding in the state, but not death. Four persons, including two children, died in the past 24 hours in the state, raising the death toll due to floods and landslides in this monsoon to 184. While two persons died in Cachar, one each died in Morigaon and Nagaon.

Three rivers are flowing above the danger levels – the Brahmaputra at Dhubri, Kopili at Dharamtul and the Disang at Nanglamuraghat – in the state. The floods affected 49 revenue circles in twenty districts to date.

According to the flood bulletin of ASDMA (Assam State Disaster Management Authority), the floods affected 11.16,824 people in 1,024 villages. As many as 1,48,122 people are taking shelter in 299 relief camps. Over 1.23 lakh people are still staying in relief camps. The Nagaon district has over 10,000 people in relief camps.

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