India

Centre grants J&K Rs1,123 cr for flood relief

PTI

Jammu & Kashmir Government was on Friday sanctioned Rs1,122.56 crore by the Centre to meet the immediate financial crisis arising out of heavy expenditure for providing relief to the people affected by last year's flood.This was decided during a meeting between State Governor NN Vohra and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh where issues relating to rehabilitation of flood victims and restoration of the public infrastructure in the State consequent to the devastation caused by the September 2014 floods.

After an hour-long meeting, it was decided to sanction Rs1,102.56 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund to meet expenditures incurred by the State Government for immediate restoration of public infrastructure devastated by the floods.Another Rs20 crore has been sanctioned from the National Rural Drinking Water Programme for the restoration of drinking water system.

During the meeting, the Centre was apprised that out of Rs634.99 crore, the State has already spent to provide immediate rehabilitation in the wake of floods which includes Rs144.85 crore towards food subsidy, Rs35.67 crore towards restoration of national highways and roads, Rs25.41 crore towards petroleum products, Rs2.52 crore for milk products and Rs1.54 crore for medicines.

Ahead of Vohra's meeting  with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, the Governor discussed with Home Minister the package announced of Rs1,765 crore by Modi during his visit to the Valley last year.During the course of Friday’s discussions, it was decided that for final decisions with regard to a special package of over Rs41,000 crore which had been submitted by the then Jammu & Kashmir Government led by Omar Abdullah, the Home Ministry shall be the nodal authority for all further decisions about the schemes proposed by the State Government.