Kerala contributes Rs 10 crore towards relief work in Cyclone Fani-hit Odisha

Kerala will contribute Rs 10 crore towards relief work in Cyclone Fani-affected Odisha, said state chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The amount will be released from the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund.

“CM Pinarayi Vijayan has informed that Kerala will give ₹10 Crore to Odisha towards relief in the aftermath of cyclone Fani. The amount will be disbursed from CMDRF,” tweeted Vijayan.

CM Pinarayi Vijayan has informed that Kerala will give ₹10 Crore to Odisha towards relief in the aftermath of cyclone Fani. The amount will be disbursed from CMDRF. — CMO Kerala (@CMOKerala) May 8, 2019

The Centre also released Rs 1,000 crore additional assistance to step up restoration work including power supply and the telecommunications network, a Home Ministry statement said on Tuesday. This amount is in addition to Rs 341 crore which was sanctioned by Centre to the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) before the cyclone hit Odisha.

The death toll in Cyclone Fani touched 37 on Tuesday, affecting nearly 1.48 crore people in Odisha. One crore 48 lakh people have been affected in 155 blocks, almost 5.8 lakh houses have been damaged. Thirty-seven casualties have been reported till now," Odisha State Disaster Management Authority spokesperson Sangram Mohapatra told ANI.

“Power connectivity needs to be restored on a priority basis as drinking water supply, telephone connectivity and banking operations need electricity,” said Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha said.

Fourteen districts of Odisha – Angul, Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Khordha, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh and Puri were affected by the severe cyclonic storm, said State Emergency Operation Center (SEOC).