Tripura Chief Minister Saha announces Rs 564 crore special package for flood-hit areas

Agartala (Tripura) (India), September 7 (ANI): Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday announced a special package of Rs 564 crore for flood-affected areas and people in the state.

On the third day of the Tripura Legislative Assembly, CM Saha said that the members of this Assembly are aware that the recent floods in the state have caused extensive damage to roads, bridges, power transmission lines, agriculture, gardens, cultivable agricultural land, fish ponds, dams, animal resources and houses.

“National highways, state highways and rural roads have been inundated, and ponds, tanks and agricultural lands have been inundated with silt and water. The initial estimate of flood damage is around Rs 14,247 crore. District magistrates and departmental officials have assessed the actual damage on the ground. After assessing the actual damage, the state government will submit a memorandum to the Union Home Ministry seeking additional funds for relief and rehabilitation,” CM Saha said.

He further informed that considering the severity of damage caused by the recent floods, the state government has decided to announce a financial package for immediate relief and recovery works in various sectors.

“The total amount of the package is Rs 564 crore, which will be funded from the state government’s funds. We all know that it will take months for the state to recover from this shock and rebuild the infrastructure needed to keep up with the development. However, this package will show the right direction to provide relief to the flood-affected people and continue the development process of our government,” he added.

The scheme includes Rs 70 crore for the Food and Civil Supplies Department, where 10 kg additional rice per ration card per month for the next two months will be provided. This will benefit around 9.8 lakh ration card holders in the state. For agriculture, Rs 15 crore has been approved to provide financial assistance for seeds, fertilizers and other agricultural support for the production of Kharif and Rabi crops. For horticulture, Rs 5 crore has been allocated for financial support for cultivation of winter vegetables and flowers, repair of paddy fields, fertilizers and removal of silt from damaged land. Rs 10 crore of financial assistance has been allocated for procurement of fish to boost fish production. To the Animal Resources Development Department (ARDD), Rs 5 crore will provide immediate assistance to protect the health of affected animals, including animal feed, water supply, medicines, rehabilitation, input subsidies and other activities.

In the education sector, Rs 12 crore has been allocated for providing books to flood-affected students and for repair and maintenance of schools and colleges. Rs 50 crore has been allocated to the Public Works Department (Drinking Water and Sanitation) for ensuring safe drinking water supply to schools, Anganwadi centres and flood-affected households. For urban and rural development, Rs 52 crore will be used for repair and maintenance of urban and rural roads, drainage systems and office buildings.

The health ministry will receive Rs 10 crore for procurement of 2,000 bags of bleaching powder, 2 lakh ORS packets, 20 lakh halogen tablets, 10 lakh zinc tablets, fever medicines and skin disease medicines to support disinfection and diarrhoea prevention efforts.

Under the Public Works (Water Resources) Department, Rs 35 crore will be used for renovation, repair and maintenance of dams, canals and major projects in the state. The Power Department will get Rs 100 crore for speedy restoration, repair and maintenance of power transmission lines, transformers, conductors, cables and accessories. Rs 200 crore has been allocated to the Public Works (Roads and Buildings) Department for reconstruction, renovation and maintenance of flood-damaged roads and drains. (ANI)