Centre to give Rs 3,448 cr immediate assistance to flood-hit Andhra, Telangana, says Chouhan

New Delhi/Hyderabad: Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday announced an immediate assistance of Rs 3,448 crore to mitigate the impact of floods in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Chouhan, who is in Telangana today after reviewing the flood situation in Andhra Pradesh, said: “No one needs to be disappointed. We are working to provide immediate help”.

Presently, the arrangement is being made to provide immediate assistance of Rs 3,448 crore under the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF), which also includes the central government’s share, he said.

After providing immediate assistance, the government will think about making available fertilisers and seeds to farmers for the next crop, he added.

The minister also assured the farming community that the Centre will provide appropriate compensation after the assessment of the crop damage.

“We will ask the banks not to recover loans from farmers in times of crisis,” he added.

Meanwhile, a senior officer of the Union Home Ministry said that the Centre has been extending all the requisite and timely assistance to Andhra and Telangana for flood relief and rescue efforts and an inter-ministerial central team will soon visit the affected areas in both the states.

Additional Secretary in the Home Ministry Sanjeev Kumar Jindal said 26 teams of the NDRF, eight helicopters of the Indian Air Force (IAF), three helicopters and one dornier aircraft of the Indian Navy have been mobilised in Andhra Pradesh for rescue and relief operations. Seven teams of the NDRF, two helicopters of the IAF have also been mobilised in Telangana, he added.

“The central government has been extending all the requisite and timely assistance to the state governments,” Jindal said.

He said that on the night of September 1, when flood affected many areas, following a directive of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, additional NDRF teams and IAF helicopters were mobilised to assist the state governments in relief and rescue efforts. The NDRF teams have rescued 350 people and evacuated about 15,000 others in Andhra and have rescued 68 people and evacuated about 3,200 others in Telangana.