Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed to immediately release central assistance to the tune of Rs.1000 crores to Andhra Pradesh government to take up relief and rehabilitation works in the districts affected due to the recent Phailan cyclone and floods in the state.
The Prime Minister along with AICC General Secretary Digivijay Singh held a meeting with the leaders from AP to review the loss and damage caused by the recent cyclone and floods in the state.
Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajnrahima, APCC President Botcha Satyanarayana, Union Ministers from the state besides MPs and other leaders attended the meeting.
The Chief Minister and other leaders explained in detail to the Prime Minister the trail of death destruction left behind by the cyclone and subsequent floods caused due to incessant rains. As many as 16 districts bore the brunt of the cyclone havoc due to which standing crops in 13-lakh acres was damaged. Apart from plantain trees and coconut plants in hundreds of acrs were lost. Besides these roads and tanks were breached, houses damaged and infrastructure facilities badly affected. The death roll in the calamity was put at 58.
Kiran Kumar Reddy and the state leaders informed the Prime Minister that according to preliminary estimates the loss caused by the cyclone abd floods was put at Rs.6510 crores and urged immediate central assistance. After hearing patiently to the state leaders, the Prime Minister responded positively by directing to release forth with and advance e of Rs.1000 crores for taking up relief and rehabilitation works on a war footing.
The Prime Minister also informed the CM and other state leaders that a central team would be sent to the state within two days to assess the damage and submit a report. After receipt of the central team’s report, further assistance would be provided to the state, the PM assured.
After the meeting concluded with the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister addressed a press conference at AP Bhavan wherein he reminded about the loss sustained by the statge in 2009 due to cyclone and draught, He said that the state government had taken up all the relief and rehabilitation measures during that year and had sought the required financial assistance from the central government. The state has yet to receive an amount of Rs.1,145 crores, which it had already spent and sought the Prime Minister to issue orders for reimbursement of the same at the earliest, he said and added that the state’s request was immediately accepted.
Kiran Kumar Reddy thanked the prime Minister for his positive response in releasing in advance an amount of Rs.1000 crores besides agreeing to reimburse Rs.1145 crores already spent by the state in 2009. He also informed that the state’s request to set up purchase centres for procuring damaged paddy and cotton from the farmers by FCI and Cotton Corporation of India. “ I am very thankful to the Prime Minister and the AICC President Sonia Gandhi for acceding to the requests of the state in coming to its rescue to take on a war footing relief and rehabilitation measures in the cyclone affected districts.
Besides the Chief Minister those present during the media conference were PCC Chief Botcha Satyanarayana, Union Ministers Pallam Raju, Chiranjeevi and Panabaka Laxmi, State Minister Ganta Srinivasa rao, Erasu Pratap Reddy, Shailajanath, Ahmeduallah and other state. However, Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajnarsimha was conspicuous by his absence.(NSS).