Union home minister P Chidambaram has assured the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka that funds would not be a constraint for providing relief to the flood affected people in the two states. “The central government offers its deepest sympathies to the affected people and assures that it will offer full assistance to provide them relief and rehabilitation,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Chidambaram advised the chief ministers of the two states, K Rosaiah and BS Yeddyurappa, to utilise the states Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) immediately. Advances from the National Calamity Contingency Fund would be provided once 75 per cent of the CRF was exhausted.
The home minister, who consulted the Prime Minister before issuing the statement, said a central team would be sent to the two states to assess the damage according to the established norms. Further measures would be considered on the return of finance minister, Pranab Mukherjee, from abroad on Wednesday.
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Chidambaram did an aerial survey of some of the flood-affected parts in the two states on Monday. “We were deeply moved by the scale of the calamity. The loss of life, property, cattle and standing crops is enormous. Lakhs of people have been accommodated in camps,” Chidambaram said.