Ahmedabad: As the floods affect thousands of people in Gujarat, PM Narendra Modi took an aerial inspection of affected districts on Tuesday.
Floods have killed 82 people so far in the state. While in neighbouring Rajasthan, six people, including a 10-year-old child, died in rain-related incidents since Sunday. Rescue operations resumed on Tuesday in Jalore district where two Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters were also pressed into service. Rain waters have also caused severe flooding and damage in West Bengal and Odisha, reports HT.
The PM has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 for those injured severely from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
“Everything possible will be done to help the farmers, who suffer immensely due to floods… While reviewing the situation, I could see the Government of Gujarat responded to the flood situation quite swiftly,” the PM tweeted.
More than seven lakh food packets have been air dropped in the affected villages as over 370 roads, including six National Highways, and 20 State Highways, remained flooded.
“Rescue operations resumed today in Jalore where columns of the Army and NDRF teams have been deployed. One NDRF team is in Pali and two NDRF and one SDRF teams are in Sirohi. Food packets and water bottles are being dispatched to villages surrounded by water,” Hemant Gera, Secretary (Disaster Management and Relief Department), said on Tuesday.
The MeT department has issued the warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall in south-western and south-eastern, which covers Jodhpur and Udaipur divisions, during the next 24 hours.