Assam Floods: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma steps up relief efforts as 7 new victims take death toll to 75 | Today’s news
Seven more deaths in the last 24 hours took the death toll in Assam’s floods to 75. However, the total number of people affected fell to 3.32 million, according to a report by The Telegraph.
The state government has increased the ex gratia amount to the families of the deceased ₹4 lakh up to ₹9 lakh and relaxed the norms for availing the compensation, officials said, according to a PTI report.
The death toll is rising
Charaideo, Golaghat, Jorhat, Nagaon, Sonitpur and Kamrup Metropolitan are the districts that are still affected by the floods which have reportedly affected 21 revenue circles and 622 villages. Charaideo was the worst affected with 1,42,000 people affected and Sivasagar and Jorhat were close behind with 97,024 and 57,371 people affected respectively.
All the 7 casualties reported on Tuesday were from Narzia area of Sivasagar district. A crop area of 45,341.98 hectares was flooded. Several houses, schools, sheds and anganwadis were also affected.
However, since Monday, the situation has improved, as six districts were reported as affected. The floods affected 4.45 million people and 81 relief camps were set up to accommodate a total of 32,477 displaced persons. The Army, Air Force, NDRF, SDRF, Fire and Rescue Services and civilian volunteers are conducting rescue and relief operations.
The government extends aid
Intra Circle Roaming (ICR) facility has been extended in Sivasagar area to ensure uninterrupted mobile connectivity, officials said. They also added that the facility is available to all roaming subscribers in the district, allowing subscribers of all telecom providers to connect to the network.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said floods will not come in the way of children’s education. “Our aim remains to create a pleasant atmosphere in the relief camps. Dedicated spaces for learning and play help ensure that the effects of the floods do not interrupt their childhood and are not adversely affected by the ongoing situation,” he noted.
He also announced on Facebook Live on Tuesday evening the relaxation of norms for providing ex gratia compensation to the next of kin or those killed or missing in the floods.
Specifically, it is the removal of the mandate to provide a post-mortem report for the purpose of obtaining compensation, while an endorsement from the Circle Officer is considered sufficient.
Families who are severely affected in the four worst affected districts of Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat will receive an interim amount of Rs. ₹15,000 which they can use for their household needs, the CM said.
Students in Sivasagar and Charadieo districts will get free uniforms and textbooks along with a grant to purchase books for higher secondary, college and post-graduate students.
