Dear All, The news below courtsey igovernment contains the same info as you might have seen on TV or read in Newspapers. Looking at the magnitude of the calamity which will take more than 6 weeks for the people to start making first trip back home the declaration by PM must be peanuts for the suffering masses in Bihar. Presently it is 1/4 th of Bihar under water. It may increase further to reach a wild guess of near half Bihar under water. Massive help in all forms will be required. Members in the group resident outside Bihar may like to keep themselves ready to support the relief schemes if they are willing to. My own understanding is that very soon CM Relief Fund will start operating. Members in the group resident in Bihar may involve themselves physically. Since we are not sure whether some responsible person is reading our mails and suggestions to tackle the present crisis I am giving below two Phone Nos. of ETV Bihar/Jharkhand who can be contacted and such suggestions passed on to the concerned authorities through them. All the best 08415246704 & 08415246710
vnsharma *Rs 1,000 Cr aid for Bihar's national calamity* *New Delhi:* Describing the floods in Bihar as a national calamity, the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday announced an immediate assistance of Rs 1,000 crore for rescue and relief operations as well as 125,000 tonnes of food grains. The Prime Minister announced the aid after an aerial survey along with Congress President Sonia Gandhi of the four most-seriously-hit districts-Supaul, Saharsa, Araria and Madhepura. Nearly 1.4 million people have been displaced by the flood waters of the river Kosi after it changed its course due to a breach in its embankment upstream in Nepal, reports IANS. Expressing his deep anguish at the havoc caused by the floods, Singh directed that all steps should be taken to help the people. He said the central government would extend all possible help to the Bihar government. An amount of Rs 1 lakh would be given from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund to the next of kin of those killed in the floods. "The central government will provide necessary material and technical assistance to the state government to prevent further deterioration in the embankments and protective structures," a statement issued here said. The Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar asked the Prime Minister to find a permanent solution to the problem of floods in consultation with Nepal. Singh said a high-level team would be set up to coordinate matters with the Government of Nepal. The central government has said it will procure and supply tarpaulin tents and GI sheets for the flood affected. Special Indian Air Force sorties would be arranged to provide packaged drinking water and high capacity helicopters would be deployed for evacuation of people, the statement said. Teams of doctors and paramedics would be kept on standby. The Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will jointly provide 100 additional motorised boats for rescue operations, while the Department of Animal Husbandry will provide assistance for the livestock affected by the floods. The Chief Minister, who met Singh a day earlier in New Delhi, said over 55 people had died in the current floods and over 2.5 million people in 15 districts have been affected.
