Kerala Floods : Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces Rs 500 Cr Financial Assistance

Thiruvananthapuram: In the wake of one of the worst floods Kerala is battling with, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced a financial assistance of Rs 500 crores to the state.

The Prime Minister made this announcement after undertaking an aerial view of the flood-affected areas of Kerala. After attending Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's last rites ceremony, Modi flew to Kerala to take stock of the situation here.

Besides undertaking an aerial survey, the Prime Minister met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, union minister K J Alphons and other top officials of the state.

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The financial assistance will be taken from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) and shall include an ex gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh per person to the next kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those seriously injured.

A release by the Press Information Bureau said that under the direction of the Prime Minister, Insurance companies have been asked to take up measures to release compensation to the beneficiaries on time.

Kerala Floods which is the most discussed issue at this moment is believed to have displaced more than 1 million people of the state.

The PIB release further said that those people of Kerala whose "kuccha houses" have been destroyed in the floods will be prioritized while providing houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G)

“Under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme 5.5 crore person days have been sanctioned in the labor budget 2018-19. Any further request for incurring person days would be considered as per the requirement projected by the state,” the release added.

The Kerala Floods which have caused mammoth damage to the state's infrastructure has also been taken into account. Modi has directed the National Highways Authority of India to repair the National Highways.

The National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) and PGCIL have been directed to assist the Kerala government in all possible ways.