Centre announces Rs 1k cr aid to Odisha, Bengal

The acrimony between the Centre and the Trinamool government in West Bengal was on display yet again on Friday when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee kept Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar waiting for 30 minutes at a meeting held to assess the damage caused by Cyclone Yaas and to discuss relief measures.Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted an aerial survey of Balasore, Bhadrak districts of Odisha and East Medinipur district of West Bengal on Friday. After holding review meetings in the two states, he announced a relief package of Rs 1,000 crore. The kin of those who lost their lives will be given Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia while the seriously injured will get Rs 50,000 from the Centre. An inter-ministerial team will visit the areas impacted by the cyclone to assess the full extent of the damage.However, the Prime Minister’s visit to Bengal was marred by the continuing rift between the Centre and the Mamata Banerjee government. The gulf appears to have grown wider after the bitterly fought Assembly elections last month.Modi landed at Kalaikunda airbase near Kharagpur in West Medinipur district after conducting the aerial survey. When he reached the venue of the review meeting along with the Governor, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and Union minister Debasree Chaudhuri, there was nobody to represent the state government. Banerjee arrived with officials after 30 minutes. However, she walked out of the meeting within minutes, stating that she has to attend to other official work.Sources said Banerjee and the West Bengal Chief Secretary were present on the same premises when the Prime Minister arrived but did not receive him. During her brief interaction, the chief minister handed a report on the impact of the cyclone and her demand from the Centre for financial assistance.The Chief Secretary and Home Secretary of West Bengal were to make a presentation on the damage caused by the cyclone but had to leave with the chief minister. The screen had been set for the presentation.The episode drew the ire of BJP leaders with party chief JP Nadda tweeting, “… Her absence from the PM’s meeting is murder of constitutional ethos and the culture of cooperative federalism”. He alleged that Banerjee’s “tactics and petty politics” has once again come to “haunt” the people of the state.During the review meetings in the two states, the Prime Minister was informed that Odisha has been the worst affected by the cyclone while West Bengal and Jharkhand have also suffered damages. Of the relief package announced by the Prime Minister, ₹500 crore will be disbursed to Odisha immediately while West Bengal and Jharkhand will get their share from the remaining ₹500 crore after assessment of the damage by the inter-ministerial team to be sent by the Centre.The Prime Minister said the government will have to continue the focus towards more scientific management of disasters. As the frequency and impact of cyclonic systems are increasing in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, communication systems, mitigation efforts and preparedness have to undergo a major change. He also spoke about the importance of building trust among people for better cooperation in relief efforts.He appreciated the preparedness and disaster management activities undertaken by the Naveen Patnaik government in Odisha and said this has resulted in minimal loss of lives. He also noted that the state has embarked on long term mitigation efforts for dealing with such natural disasters. Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Pratap Chandra Sarangi also attended the review meeting along with Patnaik.Modi also mentioned that disaster mitigation has been given emphasis by the Finance Commission.

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