Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday transferred Rs 225.25 crore flood relief money to 3,21,792 families through direct benefit transfer (DBT).
This is a part of the government’s effort to support flood-affected families, as the state has been hit by flash floods twice, affecting over 45 lakh people.
Last week, Kumar started transferring Rs 7,000 each to flood-affected families. The state government has so far disbursed Rs 532.22 crore for flood-affected families, including Thursday's amount.
In addition to this, the state government announced that Rs 590 crore would soon be transferred to farmers whose crops were damaged in both rounds of flooding.
More than 30 out of 38 districts in Bihar have been impacted by the floods since last month.
The first phase, caused by a rise in the Ganga river's water level, affected 28.34 lakh people, while the second phase, triggered by water discharge from rivers in Nepal, affected another 16.68 lakh people.
Crop losses have been significant, with an estimated Rs 229 crore in losses from the first phase and Rs 261 crore from the second.
In a related development, a meeting in New Delhi, chaired by Debashree Mukherjee (Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti) and attended by top Bihar officials, focused on flood mitigation measures and the Kosi-Mechi Link project, which is vital for flood control, irrigation, and water supply in rural areas.
The meeting also discussed other key projects, including the Indrapuri Reservoir and the Tilaiya-Dhadhar Diversion Scheme.