Centre sanctions Rs 1,292 cr to Odisha, Tripura for cyclone, flood relief

A high-level committee chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday approved additional assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) of Rs 1023.59 crore to Odisha and Rs 268.63 crore to Tripura, on account of relief work to be undertaken in the wake of cyclone Titli and torrential floods, respectively.

The meeting was held to consider additional central assistance to these two states affected by natural calamities.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Union Minister for Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and senior officers of the Ministries of Home Affairs, Finance and Agriculture were present in the meeting.

Cyclone Titli made landfall in Odisha in October and caused extensive damage to standing crops and plantations, thereby affecting the farmers in the state. Trees and thatched houses were uprooted owing to the gusty winds. The calamity claimed 77 lives.

In Tripura and other North-Eastern states, torrential rains during the monsoon season rendered hundreds homeless while bringing life to a standstill.