Modi govt denies flood relief assistance to Bihar: Report
Patna,(BiharTimes): The Centre has rejected the request made by the Nitish Kumar government to provide flood relief assistance to the state to deal with the post-flood situation in the state. Instead it has directed the Bihar government to first spend the funds it has under State Disaster Fund before seeking any kind of central assistance, said a report in India Today.
The Bihar government at present has Rs 1,859 crore in the State Disaster Fund and the Centre has directed it to spend this amount first as relief and rehabilitation for flood victims and compensation to farmers for crop losses.
Minister of state for Home, Kiren Rijiju has also sought details from the state government on how funds available in the State Disaster Funds have been used for victims of flood.
Nitish had in first week of November had written a letter to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh requesting for a special flood relief assistance of Rs 4,112 crore to the state to provide relief and rehabilitation to the flood affected victims.
It needs to be mentioned that Bihar CM also met the prime minister in this regard and in August the Union government had assured the state that a central team would be sent to Bihar soon to assess the flood losses.
It was only after Nitish’s letter to the Centre that a central team had come to Bihar on November 11 and 12 to take stock and assess damage caused to the state because of floods.
In fact Bihar government in its own report submitted to the Centre pertaining to losses caused due to floods had made and assessment that the damage caused to the state was in excess of Rs 4,000 crore rupees.
In fact in the letter, Nitish Kumar had question the intent of the central government in providing any kind of financial assistance to Bihar to deal with the huge losses the state has suffered due to recent floods which has affected several districts, the report said.
“The approach of the central government towards Bihar is biased, negative and insensitive. It is only after nine letters were written to the Centre that a central team came for flood assessment in November. The state government was capable of providing relief and rehabilitation with its on state disaster fund,”, Chandrasekhar, Bihar’s Minister for Disaster Management Department, was quoted in India Today.
