Odisha CM seeks early sanction of Rs 399 crore as assistance for cyclone Phailin destruction

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday urged union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to sanction Rs.399.83 crore as assistance for cyclone Phailin destruction from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), which was pending due to an erroneous assessment.

In a letter to Jaitley, Patnaik said the state, which successfully managed the cyclonic storm Phailin ahead of its striking as well as its aftermath in October 2013, did not get its legitimate dues due to an erroneous assessment by the central inter-ministerial team at a high-level committee meeting chaired by then agriculture minister Sharad Pawar.

He said the state government pointed out the error and the union home ministry in September 2014 informed that Rs.399.83 crore was approved.

However, the central government was yet to sanction the amount despite several requests to the prime minister, he added.