The Union government on December 7 released funds for the States of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, and another tranche of funds for Chennai city, in the wake of damage inflicted by severe cyclonic storm Michaung that hit the coastal States this week.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday that government has approved ₹561.29 crore for the “Integrated Urban Flood Management activities for Chennai Basin Project”.
“Chennai is facing major floods, the third such occurring in the last eight years. We are witnessing more instances of metropolitan cities receiving excessive rainfall, leading to sudden flooding. Guided by a pro-active approach, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji has approved the first urban flood mitigation project of ₹561.29 crore for ‘Integrated Urban Flood Management activities for Chennai Basin Project’ under the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF), which also includes Central assistance of ₹500 crore. This mitigation project will help make Chennai flood-resilient. This is the first in a series of urban flood mitigation efforts and will help develop a broader framework for urban flood management,” he said.
In another post, he said that Michaung has affected Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and though the extent of damage is varied, many areas of these States remain inundated, thus affecting standing crops. To help the State governments with the management of relief, PM Modi directed the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to release in advance the Central share of the second instalment of the State Disaster Response Fund “of ₹493.60 crore to Andhra Pradesh and ₹450 crore to Tamil Nadu”. “The Centre had already released the first instalment of the same amount to both States. I pray for the safety and well-being of all those affected. We stand with them in this crucial hour and will ensure the situation normalises at the earliest,” he said.
