Gujarat govt seeks Rs 9,836-crore cyclone aid from Centre

The Gujarat government on Tuesday said it has sought a Rs 9,836-crore relief package from the Centre under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for the redevelopment of areas affected by cyclone Tauktae last month.

A memorandum detailing damage caused to crops, fruit trees, houses, marine infrastructure, the fishing industry, roads, electricity and other infrastructure by the powerful storm was submitted to the Centre by the state government, said an official release here.

Through the memorandum, the state government has sought Rs 9,836 crore as per NDRF norms to carry out various relief, restoration and rehabilitation works in the areas hit by Tauktae, it said.

The cyclone had made a landfall on the Gujarat coast on the night of May 17 with a wind speed of up to 220 km per hour.

Tauktae was the most powerful cyclone to hit Gujarat in the last 50 years and had caused widespread devastation in 23 districts of the state, the release said.

The cyclone remained active over Gujarat for 28 hours before it weakened and moved towards Rajasthan, the state government said in the memorandum.

It caused large-scale damage in Amreli, Gir-Somnath, Bhavnagar and Junagadh districts, the government said.

In the memorandum, the state government has given details about loss of human lives, death of cattle, damage to houses as well as other infrastructure, said the release.

In all, the state government said it needs Rs 9,836 crore as financial assistance under the NDRF to carry out relief, rehabilitation and restoration works in the affected regions.

In addition, the Gujarat government has sought an additional assistance of Rs 500 crore for the State Disaster Response Fund from the Centre, said the release.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 19 had approved an assistance of Rs 1,000 crore for ''immediate relief activities'' in Gujarat after conducting an aerial survey of the areas ravaged by the cyclone.

He had also announced that Gujarat will get additional assistance after an inter-ministerial central team submits its assessment of damage caused by the cyclone.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)