Karnataka, Puducherry get ₹ 842 crore as disaster relief

The decision to provide assistance was taken by a high-level committee meeting chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, an official spokesperson said. The committee examined the proposals based on the report of the central team which visited Karnataka, affected by drought, and Puducherry and Arunachal Pradesh, which have been hit by floods.

An amount to the tune of ₹ 723.23 crore was approved to Karnataka, ₹ 35.14 crore was approved for Puducherry and ₹ 84.33 crore for Arunachal Pradesh.

The central assistance of ₹ 84.33 crore to Arunacha Pradesh includes ₹ 18 crore under National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP).

The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and senior officers of the ministries of Home, Finance and Agriculture.

In total, 10 states, including Maharashtra and Karnataka, have declared drought in their parts. More than ₹ 10,000 crore central assistance has been given to these states to tide over the situation.

While Puducherry was hit by floods due to heavy rains in December 2015, Arunachal Pradesh too was affected by floods last year.