Guwahati: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Monday reached the flood-hit Assam to review the situation. The two, accompanied by Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi made an aerial survey of the flood affected areas in Assam.
The Prime Minister announced Rs 500 crore support for the state for relief operations. "We have made an aerial survey in the Jorhat district. The people of Assam are facing the greatest flood in the recent times. Over 19 lakh people have been affected. The Centre is closely working with the state team in relief management," Manmohan Singh said.
Floods and landslides have left 77 people dead and six were reportedly missing in Assam. All 27 districts are under water. The Brahmaputra and the Kapili river are flowing above the danger mark at various places.
This is the state's worst flood in 8 years. The Kaziranga and other wildlife sanctuaries haven't been spared either.
Manmohan Singh has already announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund to the kin of each of those killed in the floods and directed the Defence Ministry to provide Army assistance in rescue and relief.
He called up the state's Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on June 28 to enquire about the condition in the state.
The Prime Minister has assured the Assam government of all help to deal with the flood situation there. He also spoke to Defence Minister AK Antony "urging full Army assistance for the rescue and relief operations in the affected areas".
The water level is said to be receding in some areas. Twenty four sorties have been carried out by the Indian Air Force helicopters and 4,000 kg of food packets dropped in the flood affected regions.
Meanwhile, floods have rendered 75,000 people homeless in Meghalaya.
(With additional information from PTI)
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A flood is an overflow or accumulation of an expanse of water that submerges land.[1] In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Flooding may result from the volume of water within a body of water, ...
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. He is the first Sikh to hold the office.
Singh is also the 7th Pri ...
Sonia Gandhi (Hindi: सोनिया गांधी; born Edvige Antonia Albina Maino on December 9, 1946) is the President of Indian National Congress, one of the major political parties of India. She is Italian-born daughter-in-law of th ...
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