Guwahati, 02 August (HS): Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced a series of relief measures for flood-affected families in Upper Assam, including a waiver of electricity bills, direct financial assistance, free school supplies, and land revenue exemption.

The Chief Minister said domestic consumers in Sivasagar and Charaideo districts who used up to 300 units of electricity in July will not have to pay their power bills. The state government will bear the cost from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. Smart meter users will receive account recharges, while post-paid consumers will have their July bills paid by the government. Consumers using more than 300 units will pay bills as per existing rules.

Dr. Sarma also announced that from August 3, eligible flood-affected families will receive ₹15,000 directly in their bank accounts. Around 55,000 beneficiaries in Sivasagar, 20,000 in Charaideo, 7,000 in Jorhat, and 3,000 in Golaghat are expected to benefit.

To support students, the government will provide two sets of school uniforms and free notebooks to flood-affected students of Classes I to VIII in Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat, and Golaghat. An amount of ₹7.62 crore has been sanctioned from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for purchasing school uniforms.

The Chief Minister further announced a waiver of land revenue (Mati Khazana) for the current financial year for residents of Sivasagar and Charaideo. Families still unable to return home due to displacement will receive an additional ₹10,000 from August 10.

Schools in the flood-affected areas are scheduled to reopen from August 10. The government will also release grants on August 5 and 6 for repairing damaged institutions, including up to ₹1.5 lakh for Namghars and ₹2 lakh to ₹2.5 lakh for Anganwadi centres, depending on the extent of damage.

Dr. Sarma will remain in Upper Assam from August 2 to 5 to review relief operations and assess the flood situation. He will also hold special meetings at the Chief Minister's Secretariat in Dibrugarh.

The Chief Minister said the flood situation has improved significantly, with water levels in most tributaries receding below the danger mark, and assured that rehabilitation efforts will continue until normalcy is fully restored.------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash