MP govt seeks Rs 6,621 crore flood relief from Centre

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government has sought Rs 6,621 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund for damages incurred due to heavy rains and floods in the state this year, an official said on Thursday.

The central government’s inter-ministerial team, led by Union Home ministry’s joint secretary S K Shahi, met state government officials at the secretariat here on Wednesday, a public relations department official said.

The central team toured 15 districts in Madhya Pradesh to take stock of the damage, he said.

While requesting the Centre to release Rs 6,621 crore from the National Disaster Relief Fund, the state informed that kharif crops on 60.52 lakh hectares of land out of 149.35 lakh hectares on which they were sown, were damaged in the rains, affecting nearly 55.36 lakh farmers, he said.

Around 11,000-km of roads were damaged in the state, he said, adding that about 18,604 electric poles, transformers and 1.2 lakh houses were also destroyed in the calamity.

Madhya Pradesh recorded 1,348.3 mm rainfall from June 1 to September 30, 43 per cent more than the annual average, he said.

As many as 20 districts were affected and 75,000 people were rescued and shifted in 289 relief camps in the state, the official said.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary S R Mohanty urged the Centre to provide immediate assistance and treat the situation in the state as a “disaster”.