Decision on more funds for TN after central team submits flood report: Union Minister

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 12 : The Centre will soon decide on releasing more disaster relief funds for Tamil Nadu to help the state cope with the fallout of the recent floods, Union Minister L Murugan said on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the Union Minister said additional funds will be sanctioned and released after a central fact-finding team submits a report in this regard.
The minister made the renarks amid the protest by DMK MPs at the Gandhi statue in the Parliament House complex on Thursday against the Centre over alleged neglect and partiality in the allocation of funds for the state.
"The central government has already allocated Rs 1,000 crores as disaster relief funds to Tamil Nadu. The state government should first utilise that sum before seeking an additional amount. The committee put together by the central government is in the process of drafting a report. Only once the report is filed will a decision on additional funds be taken," Murugan said.
During the protest, the DMK MPs alleged Tamil Nadu did not get any relief funds from the Centre despite a meeting between Chief Minister MK Stalin Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
They further accused the Centre of not being sympathetic to the needs of the distressed, flood-affected people of Tamil Nadu.
The ruling DMK in the southern state had been demanding that the floods be declared as a national disaster and additional funds be allocated to enable the government deal with the aftermath of the calamity and extend timely assistance and relief to the people.
The DMK MPs claimed that the Union Home Minister assured them that additional funds would be released by January 27 but not a penny has been sent as yet.