As the depression in Southwest Bay of Bengal continues to deepen, coastal regions of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry brace for impacts.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday approved the release of ₹944.80 crore to Tamil Nadu as two instalments of the central share from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
According to an official statement, the Centre has also dispatched an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) to assess the damage in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The team will conduct on-ground inspections in affected districts, including Villupuram, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi, Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri, and Krishnagiri.
The MHA assured that additional financial assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) would be provided after the IMCT submits its damage assessment report. It also emphasized the central government’s commitment to supporting states during natural disasters.
“The Modi government stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the states affected by natural calamities in mitigating the hardship faced by the people,” the statement read.
Cyclone Fengal brought unprecedented rainfall exceeding 500 mm in some districts, causing widespread destruction and impacting over 69 lakh families and 1.5 crore individuals, as per the Tamil Nadu government.
Chief Minister MK Stalin had earlier written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking an interim relief package of ₹2,000 crore from the NDRF for immediate restoration and rehabilitation efforts. In his letter, Stalin noted that the state’s initial assessment estimates ₹2,475 crore would be needed for temporary restoration measures.
Meanwhile, a seven-member IMCT team, led by Joint Secretary (Disaster Management) Rajesh Gupta, arrived in Chennai to survey the cyclone-hit areas.
The Centre highlighted that more than ₹21,718 crore had already been allocated to 28 states for disaster relief this financial year. Of this, ₹14,878 crore was from SDRF, ₹4,808 crore from NDRF, and the remainder from disaster mitigation funds.
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