Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced today an immediate financial assistance of Rs 500 crore to the rain-battered Kerala, after reviewing the flood situation in the state.
Modi also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh per person to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those seriously injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF), a Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) statement said.
“The prime minister announced a financial assistance of Rs 500 crore to the state. This is in addition to Rs 100 crore announced by Home Minister Rajnath Singh on August 12,” it said.
However, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had sought Rs. 2,000 crore as assistance from the central government- less than half of what the Modi government has spent on advertising.
In July, a report shared by the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Rajyavardhan Rathore, in Parliament revealed that the central government has spent over Rs. 4,880 crore in advertisements through electronic, print and other media since 2014-15.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi also highlighted that Prime Minister’s announcement of Rs 500 crore was not enough to meet the requirements of flood-battered Kerala. He also urged the PM to declare the floods as a National Disaster.
Dear PM,
Increasing funds allocated for Kerala relief to Rs.500 Cr is a good step but nowhere near enough. It is critical you declare the floods as a National Disaster. Please do not vacillate as the people of Kerala are suffering. #KeralaFloodRelief https://t.co/AxabEOHftR
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 18, 2018
Kerala is witnessing the worst flooding in 100 years. About 80 dams have overflowed and more than 300 lives have been lost. Over 3.14 lakh people have been moved to relief camps.
(With inputs from PTI)