Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalailthaa has submitted a new memorandum to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Tamil Nadu immediately needs an additional sum of Rs 17,431.51 crore for temporary and permanent restoration. Including the earlier requirement of Rs 8,481 crore in the Memorandum sent November 23, 2015, the State will need a total sum of Rs 25,912.45 crores for relief and restoration efforts due to the rain and flood damage," said the Chief Minister.
Rebuilding of infrastructure and reducing the distress caused to the people will cost a very large money and it is very difficult for the state to meet the cost, particularly after the huge loss of Central tax devolution and transfers suffered by the State consequent to the 14th Finance Commission's recommendations, said Jayalalithaa.
The floods in Tamil Nadu have already been declared as a "Calamity of Severe Nature" by the Centre.
Many parts of Tamil Nadu have received unprecedented torrential rains in the first week of December, 2015, leading to a deluge in the Chennai Metropolitan area and in the adjoining Districts of Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur as well as Cuddalore, Thoothukudi and Thirunelveli.
The Government of India released a sum of Rs 940.42 crore on November 23, 2015, which included Rs 133.795 crore towards the last instalment of the Central share for the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) 2014-15; Rs 254.625 crore towards the second instalment of the Central share for SDRF for 2015-16, and Rs 552 crores as Special assistance for projects out of the special allocation with NITI Aayog.
"The releases to the SDRF were not an additionality of funds, but a reimbursement of the expenditure already incurred by the State Government towards relief expenditure in 2014-15 and also in 2015-16. The sum of Rs 552 crore released towards Special assistance for projects is meant for funding specific plan schemes and cannot be utilised for temporary restoration work," said the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister asked for Rs 5,000 crore, on account, from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for immediate relief and restoration work. In response, the Prime Minister announced release of Rs 1,000 crore from the NDRF. He took stock of the situation through an aerial survey.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley visited Chennai on December 20, 2015, for an immediate on release of Rs 2,000 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund to enable the State Government to sustain the vigour of the restoration operations.
