Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday visited Odisha and West Bengal to review situation and damages caused due to Cyclone Yaas. He undertook an aerial survey of the cyclone-affected areas in Bhadrak and Baleswar districts of Odisha, and Purba Medinipur in West Bengal.
In Bhubaneswar, PM Modi chaired a meeting to review the relief and rehabilitation measures being undertaken. He was briefed that maximum damage due to Cyclone Yaas happened in Odisha, and some parts of West Bengal and Jharkhand have also been affected, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) read.
Meanwhile, PM Modi has announced financial assistance of Rs 1000 cr for immediate relief activities. Rs 500 cr would be immediately given to Odisha. Another Rs 500 cr announced for West Bengal and Jharkhand, which will be released on the basis of the damage, the statement added.
"Centre will deploy an Inter-Ministerial Team to visit the states to assess the extent of damage, based on which further assistance will be given. PM assured Odisha, West Bengal & Jharkhand that the Centre would closely work with the State Governments at this difficult time," it further said.
Moreover, PM Modi has also anmounced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the seriously injured.
For the uninitiated, Cyclone Yaas, packing winds gusting to 145 kmph whiplashed parts of India's eastern coast on Wednesday, killing at least three people in Odisha and one in West Bengal and leaving behind a trail of damaged homes and flooded farmland, forcing more than 21 lakh people to be evacuated to safe shelters in the states of West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand.
After the havoc caused by the cyclone, heavy post-cyclone rains on Thursday has seen river water levels rising above the danger mark, placing four districts of Odisha - Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara and Keonjhar - on high alert.
