Assam seeks Rs 2393 crore from Centre

NEW DELHI (INDIA): The Chief Secretary of Assam, Vinod Kumar Pipersenia chaired a meeting with the visiting Inter-Ministerial team of Government of India to assess the damage caused by recent floods in Assam, in Guwahati.nnAssam government has sought Rs 2393 crore assistance from the Centre to take up various flood-damage repair works including major breaches to embankment caused by the Brahmaputra and many of its tributaries in the current wave of flood that has started receding.nnThe request for fund was submitted before the seven-member inter-ministerial team from New Delhi which arrived in Assam on Tuesday to make an on-the-spot assessment of the damage caused by the floods in the worse-affected districts of Bishwanath, Lakhimpur, Majuli, Barpeta, Cachar, Hailakandi and Krimganj during July 25 and 28.nnThe team is led by the Joint Secretary of Ministry of Home Affairs  V. Shashank Shekhar, Government of India. The seven member team is on a visit to Assam following directions by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his meeting with Chief Minister Shri Sarbananda Sonowal on July 18 in New Delhi.nnThe other members of the team are P.M. Scott, Chief Engineer (B&BBO), Water Resources, CWC, Shillong; B.K. Mishra, Asst. Director (FCD), Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance; Sachin Kumar Gautam, Asst. Executive Engineer (Regional Officer), Road, Transport & Highways, Guwahati; Rakesh Kumar, Asst. Director, Rural Development, National Rural Road Development Agency (NRRDA); Sanjay Kumar, Director (States-NE) Niti Aayog, New Delhi and Dr. A.L. Wagmare, Director (DSD), Agriculture & Cooperation, Department of Sugarcane Development, Lucknow, UP.nnThe team will conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the flood situation and will be visiting flood affected areas of Biswanath, Lakhimpur, Majuli, Barpeta, Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts of Assam from 25th July to 28th July 2017. This is the first time that an Inter-Ministerial Central team is visiting the state in the midst of flood period to assess the damage which signifies the urgent follow up action taken by the Government of India.nnChairing the meeting, Pipersenia apprised the team about the pro-active measures taken by the State Government to minimize suffering of the flood affected. The Commissioner & Secretary, Revenue Rajesh Prasad gave an overview of the present flood scenario and resultant damages in the meeting.