Bhubaneswar, 03 August (H.S.): The Odisha government has announced an initial relief package of Rs 110 crore for families affected by the ongoing floods, reaffirming its commitment to support every affected household across the state.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, after conducting an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas, has directed officials to ensure immediate assistance based on preliminary damage assessments. Ministers have been assigned to oversee relief and rescue operations in various districts.
The state government has prioritised flood response measures, including rescue, relief, and rehabilitation, which are being carried out on a war footing across 22 affected districts.
Under the relief package, financial assistance will be provided for damage to houses, crops, and livestock. As per State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms, families with fully damaged houses will receive Rs 1.20 lakh for repairs, while partially damaged pucca houses will get Rs 6,500 and kutcha houses Rs 4,000. Completely damaged huts will be compensated with Rs 8,000, and cowsheds with Rs 3,000.
Farmers will be compensated for crop losses, with Rs 8,500 per hectare for unirrigated land, Rs 17,000 per hectare for irrigated land, and Rs 22,500 per hectare for perennial crops.
In cases of flood-related deaths, an ex-gratia assistance of Rs 24 lakh will be provided to the next of kin of six deceased persons, as per SDRF guidelines.
Compensation will also be extended for loss of livestock. Farmers will receive Rs 37,500 per milch animal such as cows and buffaloes, Rs 4,000 per goat or sheep, Rs 32,000 per draught animal including bullocks, buffaloes, and horses, and Rs 20,000 for calves, donkeys, and mules.
The government has assured that gratuitous relief will be provided to all eligible beneficiaries until normalcy is restored.
According to official estimates, the floods have affected 22 districts, covering 85 blocks, 15 urban local bodies, 656 gram panchayats, and 1,458 villages. A total of 8,63,909 people have been impacted, while 2,67,301 people have been evacuated to safer locations as a precautionary measure.
Relief operations are underway through 529 relief camps and 31 livestock camps. Essential supplies, including rice, flattened rice (chuda), jaggery, and polythene sheets, have been distributed extensively. Additionally, 1,816 metric tonnes of cattle feed have been supplied to support livestock.
A total of 199 rescue teams, including 20 ODRAF, 7 NDRF, and 172 fire service units, have been deployed in the affected districts.
Preliminary assessments indicate six fatalities, damage to 3,567 houses, and crop loss over approximately 33,458.30 hectares of agricultural land.
The government reiterated that relief, rescue, and rehabilitation efforts will continue until normalcy is fully restored. Earlier, an advance assistance of Rs 26 crore had already been released to the worst-affected districts.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda
