Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said a total of Rs 25.12 crore as interim relief was transferred to 16,746 families affected by the devastating floods in three districts of the state this year.
He said each flood-hit family in Sivasagar, Charaideo and Jorhat districts received Rs 15,000.
Rs 25.12 crore interim relief transferred
Speaking on the occasion, Sarma said that Assam faces floods every year, but this time the state government has set a new benchmark for helping the affected people, and asserted that such an initiative was never seen before.
''The state's Revenue department has created a new benchmark for relief and rehabilitation of the affected people. Its effort has not only helped them but also ensured they get back to their normal life at the earliest," he said.
The state government is providing one-time interim assistance to 1,17,095 households, disbursing a total of Rs 175 crore for this purpose, the CM said.
Orundoi beneficiaries to receive additional assistance
Sarma said women beneficiaries under the 'Orundoi' scheme in Sivasagar and Charaideo districts will receive Rs 2,000 in September.
"Each beneficiary (under the 'Orundoi' scheme) usually gets Rs 1,250 per month, but last month they received Rs 2500 each in flood-affected districts of Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat," the chief minister said.
The government has so far released Rs 15 crore for repair of schools, Rs 11 crore for anganwadis and Rs 16 crore for 'namghars' (Vaishnav monasteries), Sarma said.
Roads, water projects taken up for restoration
The repair of 405 roads and 244 water supply projects have also been taken up in the four flood-affected districts, he said.
Altogether, Rs 300 crore has so far been released for repair and restoration work, the CM said, adding that after the damage assessment is complete, the government expects to spend more than Rs 1,000 crore on relief and restoration work.
''Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured us that there will be no problem of funds in spending for the benefit of the affected people," he said.
Digital survey identifies 95,545 affected families
On damage assessment, Sarma said that 1182 teachers had conducted a digital survey and identified 95,545 families affected by the floods.
The second phase of the flood damage assessment will be conducted in September, he added.
The chief minister said that due to the floods, banks were asked to extend a moratorium to those who had taken loans.
''A total of 14,227 flood-affected people had applied for a moratorium, and banks have extended the facility to 13,943 of them so far,'' Sarma said.
Insurance claims, welfare schemes announced
On insurance claims, Sarma said a total of 2,728 families have received the benefit so far in the four severely affected districts.
The CM also released funds under the Chief Minister's Foreign Language Initiative for Global Hunt (CM-FLIGHT) for the Japanese language training programme.
Each selected candidate will receive Rs one lakh as training support in three instalments, along with Rs 50,000 per candidate as post-placement assistance.
He also disbursed financial assistance and support to fresh graduates from government and public institutions under the Chief Minister's Jibon Prerna Scheme.
A total of Rs 118.6 crore would be disbursed to 48,188 candidates, with each receiving Rs 2,500 per month for a year, Sarma added.