"Central govt has made available all possible help": Union Minister Nityanand Rai on Bihar flood situation
Oct 02, 2024
Patna (Bihar) [India], October 2 : As several parts of Bihar are grappling with severe flooding, Union Minister and BJP leader Nityanand Rai said that the central government has made available 'all possible help for Bihar'.
Speaking to media persons on Tuesday, Union Minister Nityanand Rai stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are constantly monitoring the situation.
"Central government has made available all possible help to Bihar. The central government and PM Narendra Modi himself have been taking cognisance of the flood situation in Bihar. The Prime Minister is very worried about the situation here and the Home Minister is constantly monitoring the situation. They are ensuring that states are constantly provided relief and have assured the state government of all possible assistance," Union Minister Nityanand Rai said.
Several parts of Bihar are struggling with severe flooding due to heavy water discharge from the Kosi Barrage in Birpur, following relentless rainfall in the catchment areas of Nepal. Rivers are at or above danger levels in many bordering districts.
A massive volume of water has been released from the Kosi and Gandak barrages, affecting northern Bihar and Nepal. Floods in Sitamarhi followed a breach in the Mandar dam in the Belsand block on September 29.
Earlier on Monday, September 30, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said that the state government is working in coordination with the central government to mitigate the flooding situation.
Deputy CM Sinha said, "Such a situation has been created after half a century. 6,61,000 cusecs of water have been released. Bihar is experiencing this for the first time. But the government is alert. It will not be able to cause much damage... The Bihar government and the central government will fight this together. We will keep our people safe... We are in contact with the officials of many districts."
Meanwhile, Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) have decided to send a team to Bihar and West Bengal, which have been recently affected by floods, for an on-the-spot assessment of damages.
After the IMCTs' assessment reports are received, financial assistance from the NDRF will be approved for the disaster-affected states, as per established procedures, according to the MHA.
Notably, The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has released Rs 5,858.60 crore to 14 flood-affected states as the central share from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and as an advance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
