Bihar floods: CM transfers Rs 112 crore to over 1.6 lakh families

Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary transferred Rs 112.14 crore to 1,60,201 flood-hit families via DBT, with each receiving Rs 7,000. Total aid now stands at Rs 726.17 crore for over 10 lakh families. The CM has ordered a damage report.

Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Monday transferred relief funds amounting to Rs 112.14 crore via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to the bank accounts of 1,60,201 flood-affected families. Each family has received financial assistance of Rs 7,000.

So far, a total of 10,37,391 flood-affected families have been provided with assistance, bringing the overall total to Rs 726.17 crore.

CM Reviews Flood Situation and Damage

CM Choudhary also reviewed the flood situation in the state on October 6 and the damage caused by it, directing officials to submit a detailed report at the earliest.

According to a press release, the review meeting was held at the 'Sankalp' auditorium at Lok Sevak Awas in the presence of BJP national president and MP Nitin Nabin.

Causes of Flooding Detailed

During the meeting, Water Resources Department Secretary Dr Chandrashekhar Singh briefed the Chief Minister about the causes of the floods and the situation that emerged in the state in two phases. During the first phase, the Ganga, Son, Ghaghra, Kosi and Punpun rivers recorded new highest water levels compared to previous records. In the second phase, the Gandak River recorded its highest water levels at four locations due to excessive rainfall. Six locations in West Champaran, Gopalganj and Saran districts witnessed damage to embankments.

Disaster Management Department Principal Secretary Santosh Kumar Mall briefed the meeting about the relief and rescue operations carried out during the floods.

Future Action and Silt Policy

Choudhary said a serious flood situation emerged this year due to the exceptionally high volume of water in the Ganga, Gandak and Son rivers compared to previous years.He said accumulation of silt in riverbeds was also one of the major reasons for floods. Bihar is the first state in the country to formulate a silt policy, the Chief Minister said.

The CM directed officials to continuously monitor the current condition of rivers and the damage caused by the floods and directed that a preliminary detailed report on the damage caused by the floods be submitted at the earliest so that relief, rehabilitation and necessary development works in affected areas could be expedited.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)