Finance Minister Announces Financial Aid for Flood-Affected States

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced financial assistance for states affected by natural calamities, including Bihar, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim. Bihar will see progress in flood control projects in Nepal, while other states receive aid for flood management and reconstruction.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced substantial financial assistance to states suffering from losses due to floods and other natural disasters. States such as Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim will receive the aid.

Sitharaman highlighted Bihar’s struggles with frequent flooding, often triggered outside its borders, and disclosed plans to advance flood control structures in Nepal. The government aims to expedite projects worth Rs 11,500 crores, including the Kosi-Mechi intra-state link and 20 other schemes encompassing barrages, river pollution abatement, and irrigation projects. A survey and investigation of Kosi-related flood mitigation will also be undertaken.

The Finance Minister emphasized the central government’s assistance to Assam for flood management due to recurrent floods by the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries. For Himachal Pradesh, which faced extensive flood damage last year, the government will provide reconstruction and rehabilitation aid through multilateral development assistance.

Sitharaman also announced support for Uttarakhand, affected by cloudbursts and landslides, and for Sikkim, which recently experienced devastating flash floods and landslides. This financial aid comes as part of the first Union Budget presented by the Modi 3.0 government, during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.