Govt, Opposition differ over flood relief amount

A day after the Centre announced additional flood relief assistance, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday said that the amount released was not enough and expressed hope that more funds will be sanctioned in phases.

There were also differences with regard to the actual amount of funds released under the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF).

While the chief minister maintained that Rs 1,869.85 crore was released, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah ridiculed the ruling BJP, saying that the additional assistance was only Rs 669 crore, and the figure stated by the saffron party included Rs 1,200 crore the Centre had given earlier.

Speaking to reporters, Yediyurappa thanked the Centre for releasing the additional assistance. “The funds released will never be enough considering the extent of losses. They are releasing such large amounts in phases,” he said.

While officials say the actual release is just Rs 669 crore, Yediyurappa maintained that the Centre had now given Rs 1,869 crore, apart from the earlier Rs 1,200 crore.

Siddaramaiah attacked the Yediyurappa government for projecting wrong figures. “Reports from state government officials tell that only Rs 669 crore of additional funds are released in the 2nd installment as opposed to the claim of Rs 1,870 crore. At a time when manufacturing industries are closing, BJP’s fake news factory is running at full potential!”

A high-level committee chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah had sanctioned the release of NDRF funds on Monday. While a PIB release had claimed that Rs 1,869 crore was
approved on Monday, the government officials clarified that the figure was inclusive of Rs 1,200 crore released in October.

Meanwhile, Revenue Minister R Ashoka did not clarify on the amount released by the Centre. “We’re yet to receive official communication regarding this,” Ashoka said.