New Delhi: As Assam has already witnessed death of 187 people due to perennial flood this monsoon season, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has appealed to the central government to release advance fund from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
Sarma during his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday late evening in New Delhi, appraised him about the present situation of the State. Sarma said that he had briefed Shah that around 30,000 to 40,000 houses were damaged by the deluge. "I have requested the Union Home Minister to release an advance amount from NDRF for immediate assistance to those whose houses were severely or fully damaged in the unprecedented floods," said Sarma.
The Chief Minister has informed that Assam's flood has been labelled 'severe' by a central team which made an assessment of the flood situation. "I have sought advance fund from NDRF to enable the State to help the people whose houses were fully damaged by the deluge," Sarma said. Recently, the central government has released Rs 324.40 crore as the State share of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for the year 2022-23 as immediate assistance to the State government to combat the current floods.
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Asserting that Centre's door is always open for Assam, Sarma said that his government would give an actual picture of the extent of damages caused by the deluge so that it gets the exact funds instead of asking for package. According to reports compiled by the Disaster Management Division of the Home Ministry, 34 districts in Assam have been affected by flood this monsoon. Apart from 187 deaths, 37 people are still missing in the flood.
