Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday urged Home Minister Rajnath Singh to quicken the process of providing flood relief funds to the state.
A home ministry official confirmed the meeting where Vijayan briefed Singh about the situation in Kerala and asked him to expedite the process of providing financial assistance to the state which faced one of the worst floods in a century, causing massive damage.
Vijayan also briefed about the current situation and steps that his government will take to bring normalcy back to the state.
Kerala government had sent a memorandum asking for Rs 4,700 crore as compensation for the damage caused in the state due to floods. Following this, a team headed by a special secretary from Home Ministry had visited Kerala last week to take stock of the situation.
The memorandum sent by Kerala government comprised details about the loss of human lives, properties, infrastructure and crops, another official said.
In case of any natural calamity beyond the coping capacity of a state, the state government submits a detailed memorandum indicating sector-wise details of damage and requirement of funds for relief operations of immediate nature.
Accordingly, the Kerala government sent the memorandum.
As per the existing guidelines, the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) visits the state for an on-the-spot assessment of damage and the additional requirement of funds.
The IMCT report is considered by the Sub-Committee of National Executive Committee (SC-NEC) headed by the Union home secretary in conformity with the norms and then by a high-level committee, chaired by the home minister for approving the quantum of additional assistance from the National Disaster Relief Fund.
On August 21, the central government had released Rs 600 crore to flood-hit Kerala as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Rs 500 crore) and Home Minister Rajnath Singh (Rs 100 crore) during their visits to the state.
This was in addition to Rs 562.45 crore already made available in State Disaster Relief Fund of the state.
About 488 people have died in Kerala due to the disaster which hit all the districts of the state.
(With PTI Inputs)
