Odisha has incurred a total loss of lives and properties worth around Rs. 54,000 crore in natural calamities those have hit the State during since 1995. The Centre has so far contributed less than 5 per cent of the aggregated loss.
Furnishing a detail report on occurrence of natural calamities and assistance sought and received by the State government, Surya Narayan Patro, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister, on Monday informed the Assembly that 25 natural calamities had visited the State in the past 18 years.
Successive governments have estimated the loss suffered by the State in cyclone, flood, drought, heavy rain, hailstorm and unseasonal cyclonic rain at Rs. 54,000 crore.
The loss estimated during October this year when severe cyclonic storm ‘Phailin’ and subsequent floods hit the State, surpassed all other losses caused by the calamities.
The October 2013 loss was calculated at Rs. 21,766.87 crore while damage worth Rs. 32,400 crore was assessed in previous 24 calamities including Super-Cyclone of 1999. The government had estimated loss of Rs. 6,243.96 crore in Super Cyclone 1999.
Even as the loss had crossed Rs. 50,000 crore in calamities since 1995, the government had sought assistance of Rs. 33,314.062 crore. Against this, the State government has received Rs. 2,600.92 crore from successive Central government.
As far as assistance is concerned, Odisha received Rs. 828.15 crore against loss caused by Super Cyclone 1999 – highest assistance in a single calamity since 1995. The State government had received Rs. 678.65 crore central assistance against its demand of Rs. 3,265.38 crore-loss in severe floods in 2011. Similarly, in 2010, the Union government on two occasions had given Rs. 258.69 crore and Rs. 301.48 crore.
Negligible Central government assistance for the State has remained a dominant political issue during the past one decade.
Naveen Patnaik-government has been alleging step-motherly treatment by the Centre in sanctioning calamity assistance.
