Cyclone Yaas: PM Narendra Modi announces Rs 1000 crore for Odisha, Bengal, Jharkhand

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Modi on Friday (May 28) announced financial assistance of Rs 1000 crore for Cyclone Yaas relief activities. Rs 500 crore would be given to Odisha, while the remaining Rs 500 crores have been granted for West Bengal and Jharkhand.

The funds will be released on the basis of the damage, which an inert-ministerial team deployed by the Centre will assess.

The government has also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the seriously injured in the cyclone.

Modi visited Odisha and West Bengal today to review the situation arising out of Cyclone Yaas. He undertook an aerial survey of the cyclone-affected areas in Bhadrak and Baleswar districts of Odisha, and Purba Medinipur in West Bengal.

“PM said that we 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,” PMO said in a statement.

“He also mentioned that Disaster Mitigation has been given emphasis by the Finance Commission too by provisioning for mitigation funds to the tune of Rs. 30,000 crore,” it added.

The PM was briefed that maximum damage due to Cyclone Yaas happened in Odisha, and some parts of West Bengal and Jharkhand have been affected.

Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that he will not seek any immediate financial assistance from the Centre to mitigate the damage by Cyclone Yaas.

The CM asserted that his government will manage the crisis through its own resources as the Centre was already burdened due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

He, however, did seek assistance for long-term measures to make the state disaster-resilient.