The Centre today released flood relief funds worth Rs 1,751.05 crore to five rain and flood-ravaged states in the country, including Telangana, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.
A high-level committee, headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, sanctioned the funds under the National Disaster Response Fund to the states.
The committee released Rs 245.96 crore for Telangana's food relief works though the state government had asked for a lot more - Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had appealed to the Centre to provide immediate financial assistance of Rs 1,350 crore to the state in October.
After the floods
devastated the state last October, KCR had written a letter to Prime Minister Modi seeking flood relief funds.
"The state has suffered widespread damage and massive crop loss due to the heavy rains. The primary estimates suggest that losses due to the unseasonal rains amount to nearly Rs 5,000 crore," he had written.
KCR and various other political leaders from different parties in the state had later condemned the Centre for "failing" to extend any help to the state. The BJP leaders in Telangana too faced much backlash over the issue, so much so that Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy was forced to issue a statement to the media
rebutting the allegations.
However, in a heartening instance of largesse, many big businesses based in the state had come forward to
donate generously to the CM's Relief Fund, to help the affected people.
Andhra Pradesh CM Y S Jaganmohan Reddy had urged the union government to proved aid worth Rs 2,250 crore for flood relief programs in AP, too.