PM Modi assures Rs 1,000 crore assistance as death toll hits 175

New Delhi,Declaring the Jammu and Kashmir floods as “national level disaster”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced Rs 1,000 crore in special assistance for rehabilitation while sharing the pain and anguish of the people of the state.
He made the annoucement in Srinagar after undertaking a visit to the state to assess the catastrophic situation which has resulted in the death of 175 people.
Reuters reports that many were left marooned amid swirling waters which inundated the Army cantonment, Civil Secretariat and the High Court in Srinagar and snapped road and communication links. As the situation worsened, the Prime Minister also called upon other states to also pitch in with relief assistance in whatever way they could.
Expressing his anguish at the loss that has been caused in neighbouring areas in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK)
“In this hour of distress, the Prime Minister offered all possible assistance to the people of the region and said that the government of India is ready to provide humanitarian assistance to those areas if the Pakistan government needs it,” a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office said.
“The Prime Minister shared the pain and anguish of the people as he was briefed in Jammu and in Srinagar by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and senior officials of the state government about the damage caused by the floods,” it added.
The Prime Minister acknowledged that the Rs 1100 crores which is being made available through the state Disaster Relief Fund would not prove to be adequate in view of the magnitude of the tragedy.
“An additional special project assistance of Rs 1,000 crore will be made available by the government to the state for flood relief and rehabilitation. More assistance would be provided, if required, after a proper survey of the situation has been made,” the statement said.
Omar also tweeted his thank you to the PMO for the additional assistance.