Kerala Hit by Worst Floods in 100 Years, Narendra Modi Conducts Aerial Survey, Announces Rs 2 Lakh Ex Gratia for Kin of Those Deceased
The Prime Minister has announced ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh per person to the next kin of the deceased and Rs.50,000 to those seriously injured from PM’s National Relief Funds (PMNRF).
Kochi, August 18: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday conducted an aerial survey of flood-affected areas of Kerala and witnessed the massive loss and destruction caused by torrential rains in the state. The Prime Minister has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh per person to the next kin of the deceased and Rs.50,000 to those seriously injured from PM’s National Relief Funds (PMNRF). Also, in addition to the 100 crore announced earlier, PM Modi has announced Rs 500 crore as immediate aid for Kerala. The Prime Minister arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday night and arrived in Kochi on Saturday morning.
The Prime Minister was accompanied in his aerial survey by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, State Revenue Minister E. Chandrasekheran and other top state officials. Modi, who arrived in the state capital on Friday night, flew to Kochi on Saturday morning. Reports inform that so far, the central government has mobilised deployment of 339 motorised boats, 2,800 life jackets, 1,400 lifebuoys, 27 light towers and 1,000 raincoats.
Rains subsided on Saturday morning resulting in the water level in Idukki and parts of Ernakulam and Thrissur districts coming down. Reports informed that though there was some let up in rains at a few places in the state, four districts of Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thrissur remained in the throes of the monsoon fury.
The death toll in flood-hit Kerala has climbed to 324 while over 2 lakh people have been displaced, said the statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office on Friday. A total of 2,23,139 people are staying in over 1,500 relief camps put up by the state. In an appeal on Twitter, the Chief Minister has appealed the people of Kerala and other parts of the nation, along with the Indian diaspora abroad, to generously donate to the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF).
The State Bank of India (SBI) has donated Rs 2 crore for the Kerala flood victims and initiated several other ground-level measures in the deluged state. According to a report by IANS, the bank has also announced a waiver of fees and charges on services like loans for flood relief, duplicate passbooks, ATM cards, chequebooks and EMI delays, besides making attempts to restore the working of branches and ATMs in the flood-affected regions of the state.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 18, 2018 11:16 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).