Centre to give Rs 3,448 cr immediate assistance under SDRF to flood-hit AP, Telangana: Chouhan

New Delhi/Hyderabad: Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday announced an immediate assistance of Rs 3,448 crore to mitigate the impact of floods in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Chouhan, who is in Telangana today after reviewing the flood situation in Andhra Pradesh, said: "No one needs to be disappointed. We are working to provide immediate help".

Presently, the arrangement is being made to provide immediate assistance of Rs 3,448 crore under the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF), which also includes the central government's share, he said.

After providing immediate assistance, the government will think about making available fertilisers and seeds to farmers for the next crop, he added. The minister also assured the farming community that the Centre will provide appropriate compensation after the assessment of the crop damage.

"We will ask the banks not to recover loans from farmers in times of crisis," he added.

Chouhan visits flood-hit areas in Telangana, assures Centre's help

Chouhan conducted an aerial survey of crop damage in flood-hit areas of Meenavalu, Peddagopavaram, Mannur, and Kattleru, of Telangana. He also met people in Khammam and discussed their problems, an official statement said.

Chouhan on Friday visited flood-hit areas in Telangana and assured that the Centre would extend necessary help to the state so that the farmers can come out of the crop loss.

In a veiled attack on the previous BRS regime, he alleged that the non-utilisation and diversion of Central funds and also non-implementation of schemes like the PM crop insurance scheme, the state was not able to benefit in the present crisis.

Interacting with the flood-hit farmers in Khammam district, the union minister said while the present disaster in the state is big, the previous government was also not short of a "disaster" as it created such a situation that finding a solution is also turning out to be difficult, he said.

However, the Centre along with the state government will find a solution for farmers. Short term and long term plans should be prepared in the wake of crop damage, he said.

Observing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are concerned about the damage caused due to rain and flooding in the state, he said they have sent him and that Union MoS (Home) Bandi Sanjay Kumar is also accompanying him.

Stating that he does not need to talk politics, he said he, however, regrets saying that the previous government created such a situation that funds under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) have not been spent and diversion took place. Schemes were not implemented for cheap popularity. The UC (utlisation certificates) for Central funds were not submitted.

Central funds won't be available if the money is not spent. The PM crop insurance scheme itself was not implemented in Telangana. Its implementation would have helped the farmers who were affected by heavy crop loss, he said.

The state is not benefiting from the Central scheme and a solution would be found, he said. The state government is enumerating the damage and a Central team will also visit to take stock of the situation. After that, the union government would extend all necessary help to the state, he said.

Primarily, the state government will have to take up the relief works, but the Centre would fully cooperate so that the farmers can emerge out of the crisis, he said.

Chouhan also said crops (including paddy and chilli) and household items were completely damaged. Besides them, livestock also suffered.

The farmers are also confronted with the problem of sand accumulating in the fields due to the flood. It damaged not just the crop but also the hopes of farmers to lead a life with dignity. There are tears in the eyes of farmers, but they should not be distressed, he said.

During the interaction, a farmer broke down over the crop loss and Chouhan consoled him. Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and other ministers were present on the occasion.

Centre extending all help to flood-hit Andhra, Telangana: MHA

The Centre has been extending all the requisite and timely assistance to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for flood relief and rescue efforts and an inter-ministerial central team will soon visit the affected areas in both the states, a senior officer of the Union home ministry said on Friday.

The inter-ministerial team will make an on-the-spot assessment of the damage, the officer added.

Additional Secretary in the home ministry Sanjeev Kumar Jindal said 26 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), eight helicopters of the Indian Air Force (IAF), three helicopters and one Dornier aircraft of the Indian Navy have been mobilised in Andhra Pradesh for rescue and relief operations.

Seven teams of the NDRF, two helicopters of the IAF have been also been mobilised in Telangana, he added.

"The central government has been extending all the requisite and timely assistance to the state governments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the relief and rescue efforts," Jindal said in a statement.

He said that on the night of September 1, when flood affected many areas, following a directive of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, additional NDRF teams and IAF helicopters were mobilised to assist the state governments in relief and rescue efforts.

"On the directions of the home minister, a central team of experts has been deputed for Vijaywada (Andhra Pradesh) to make an on-the-spot assessment of flood management, reservoir management, issues of dam safety and making recommendations for immediate relief from the flood," Jindal said.

The NDRF teams, so far, have rescued 350 people and evacuated about 15,000 others in Andhra Pradesh and have rescued 68 people and evacuated about 3,200 others in Telangana.

The additional secretary said the inter-ministerial central team has already been constituted and it will visit the flood-affected areas in both the states shortly for making an on-the-spot assessment of the damage.

The central team will make its recommendations to the home ministry for additional financial assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund.

The IAF and Navy helicopters have carried out 65 sorties and around 71,000 kilograms of food and relief material have been dropped for affected population in Andhra Pradesh.

The director general of the NDRF also visited Andhra Pradesh on September 2-3 to supervise rescue and relief operations, the statement said.

The rains and floods affected several districts in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana since weekend while the deluge has claimed 32 lives so far in Andhra Pradesh.

Inputs from PTI