In 9 days, Bengal transfers Rs 20k each to 5L Amphan homeless

Kolkata: The Bengal government on Friday announced relief for 5 lakh families spread over nine districts that were ravaged by Cyclone Amphan last Wednesday, with chief minister Mamata Banerjee making direct transfer of Rs 20,000 to each of these families who lost their homes. Another 3 lakh farmers in these districts will get Rs 1,500 per acre as compensation for damage to crops.
The relief came within 9 days of the fiercest cyclone to hit Bengal in recent memory, which battered the state for over nine hours with a peak speed of 165kmph, leaving behind a trail of destruction.
The CM’s assistance forms part of the Rs 6,250 crore the state government released for restoration work in nine districts — South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, Jhargram, Purba Burdwan and Paschim Medinipur. “We have released Rs 6,250 crore today for restoration work. This is over and above the Rs 6,500 crore released towards payment of salary and pension for state government employees. We could do this spending without any revenue for the last two months,” Banerjee said at Nabanna.
The chief minister said the Amphan damage was more than Rs 1 lakh crore and the toll has gone up to 98.
Banerjee didn’t wait for the Centre to release its second tranche of assistance after the PM’s “advance assistance” of Rs 1,000 crore. The CM, while making direct transfer of Rs 20,000 to the homeless, announced that the remaining Rs 28,000 will be adjusted with the wages these people earn under MNREGS.
The CM took the convergence route for farmers whose betel orchards (paner boroj) have been damaged in the cyclone. “The government has released Rs 5,000 to each of the 1 lakh farmers to rebuild the orchards. The remaining Rs 15,000 will be realised from the wages they earn from the 100-day work (MNREGS),” the CM said. The government has also released Rs 1,000 crore to pay social pension to widows, senior citizens, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Ttribes under the existing schemes.
Providing sweet water to villages swamped by saline water in the Sunderbans is one among the chief minister’s priorities. The government has released Rs 250 crore to sink tubewells in far-flung villages where citizens don’t have access to drinking water. Meanwhile, the public health engineering department is providing water pouches to villagers.
The CM said on Friday that the government has already restored 400 bridges and all the 273 power sub-stations under WBSEDCL.
“Work is on to restore house connection. Power supply to Pujali and Gaighata will be restored today. However, stretches of Gobardanga have to wait due to waterlogging,” she said. The public works department has already cleared all district and state highways.