Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan criticizes Centre for delaying Wayanad disaster relief & misleading public
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan criticizes Centre for delaying disaster relief to Wayanad, accusing them of evading responsibility and misleading the public, despite submitting detailed memorandums.
FollowThiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has criticized the Centre for delaying disaster relief to Wayanad. He accused the Centre of evading responsibility and rejected claims that Kerala had failed to provide necessary accounts. The Chief Minister stated that Union Home Minister Amit Shah is misleading the public regarding the issue.
Pinarayi Vijayan alleged that the Centre misled the situation earlier by citing a non-existent weather warning. Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Wayanad on August 10 and was informed about the state’s needs, Kerala has yet to receive any special financial assistance despite the submission of a detailed, itemized memorandum. It has now been over 100 days since the Prime Minister’s visit, and other states have already received aid, while Kerala has not received even a single rupee in special assistance.
In addition to the initial memorandum, Kerala submitted a request under the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA). The PDNA was not considered an official document during the Prime Minister’s visit, despite the state quickly preparing and submitting a comprehensive 583-page report. The Chief Minister asserted that the Centre's claim of delays in PDNA preparation is false, as preparing a PDNA typically takes three months—much longer than the time Kerala took. Other disaster-hit states such as Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana received larger amounts of aid after their PDNA submissions, while Kerala continues to face neglect.
Kerala’s three main requests to the Union government include declaring Wayanad a severe disaster, writing off debts, and providing immediate financial assistance. However, there has been no response to any of these demands. The claim that funds are readily available in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) is also incorrect, according to the Chief Minister, as only regular funding is accessible. Pinarayi Vijayan emphasized that Wayanad has yet to receive any special relief funds from the Centre.
Also Read: Kerala: IMG to assess impact of Nava Kerala Sadas initiative led by CM Pinarayi Vijayan
subscribe to Asianet Newsable WhatsApp channel by clicking here.
