Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday said that the state has not received the Rs 400 crore of flood assistance recommended by the Centre.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday said that the state has not received the Rs 400 crore of flood assistance recommended by the Centre.
"The Central team that visited Assam to assess the damage caused by floods last year has recommended Rs 400 crore. But we have not got any money yet," Gogoi told reporters here.
He said the inordinate delay would affect restoration and other related works as the monsoon was about to set in. "Whatever we had demanded, the amount was very less. Still we have not got it. How will I start flood control works now?" Gogoi asked.
He said other flood-hit states such as Jammu and Kashmir got huge relief immediately after last year's floods.
"The Central government is playing with the lives of ordinary citizens in Assam," Gogoi said. The two inter-ministerial teams from the Centre visited Assam earlier this year to assess the damages caused by floods in many districts last year, four months after the Assam government submitted its memorandum.
The first team visited on February 3 and toured Goalpara, Barpeta and Kamrup districts, while another came on February 13 and visited Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and other districts of Upper Assam.
In October 2014, Assam had sought a total of Rs 9,370 crore assistance from the Centre to mitigate the problems created by floods, rebuild damaged infrastructure, rehabilitate victims and strengthen embankments.
The state government in its memorandum sought Rs 2,010 crore for damaged infrastructure which included roads and bridges, dwelling houses, health centres and school buildings and Rs 660 crore for rescue and relief operations.
Besides, Rs 6,700 crore was sought as special assistance to the state that included Rs 3,500 crore for raising and strengthening of embankments and Rs 1,000 crore for mitigating flood-related problems in Guwahati city.
The state government also sought some changes in the SDRF guidelines for raising the ex-gratia to the next of kin of persons who lost their lives in natural calamities, from the existing Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh for persons up to 14 years and Rs 5 lakh for persons above 14 years of age.
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