Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday announced a special assistance package of Rs 1,000 crore for people affected by the ongoing floods in the state.
The package is based on a preliminary assessment, and the quantum of assistance may be increased after the final assessment, the Chief Minister said.
The announcement came a day after the Chief Minister visited flood-affected areas in Jajpur and Bhadrak districts to take stock of the situation. He reviewed the flood situation and relief measures at a high-level meeting in the morning before briefing the media at Lok Seva Bhawan.
“Our government is fully committed to restoring normalcy in the flood-affected areas. Money will never be a constraint. Whatever is required will be provided,” Majhi said. He added that the state government is a people’s government and will stand with citizens in times of happiness and sorrow, no matter what calamity strikes.
The Chief Minister attributed the floods to unusually heavy rainfall. He said more than 1,100 mm of rain has been recorded in the three months of June, July and August — 34 per cent higher than the normal rainfall and the highest in the past 25 years.
Majhi said he travelled by road, boat and on foot through villages in Dasrathpur block (Kaspa and Tarapada panchayats) of Jajpur and Tihidi block (Shyamsundarpur panchayat) of Bhadrak. He interacted with affected people, inspected the quality of cooked food being prepared at Ramachandrapur school in Jajpur, and visited the relief shelter at Dapanaikani school in Bhadrak to enquire about facilities and relief arrangements. He noted that the public is satisfied with the government’s relief and other assistance measures.
Floods have also affected Baleshwar, Mayurbhanj, Kendujhar and Kendrapada districts besides Bhadrak and Jajpur. In these six districts, more than 9.40 lakh people across 1,381 villages in 74 blocks have been affected. Over 3.70 lakh people have been shifted to safer places. A total of 550 relief camps have been opened and are providing cooked food. Forty-five ODRAF teams, eight NDRF teams and 65 fire service teams have been deployed in the six districts.
Key features of the Rs 1,000 crore 10-point package:
- Agriculture input subsidy for flood-affected farmers who suffered 33 per cent or more crop loss, up to 2 hectares: Rs 8,500 per hectare in non-irrigated areas, Rs 17,000 per hectare in irrigated areas, and Rs 22,500 per hectare for all perennial crops.
2. Financial assistance via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to damaged farmers for purchase of various varieties of paddy and non-paddy (e.g., black gram) seeds. Required seeds will be made available through government and private channels.
3. Free vegetable mini-kits to affected farmers. 75 per cent subsidy for post-flood pest and disease management.
4. Financial support for war-footing repair of damaged lift irrigation points.
5. Compensation for livestock losses and financial assistance for damaged boats, nets, ponds, etc.
6. Conversion of short-term Kharif crop loans of willing farmers into medium-term agricultural loans.
7. Assistance of Rs 5,000 each for purchase of damaged tools/equipment and for loss of raw materials/finished products in the handicraft and handloom sectors.
8. Temporary repair of damaged roads and canal embankments on a war footing. Permanent restoration of all damaged infrastructure after assessment of losses, with required financial support.
9. Continued supply of cooked/dry food in affected areas until the situation normalises, along with additional relief rice as needed.
10. Necessary financial assistance to flood-affected individuals for utensils and clothing.
Before the media briefing, the high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Minister was attended by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj, Rajya Sabha MP Manmohan Samal, Chief Secretary Anu Garg, Development Commissioner, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister, Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue Department, secretaries of various departments, and the Special Relief Commissioner.
