Kerala seeks Rs 150 crore for flood relief

Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 27 (UNI) Kerala has sought a Central assistance of Rs 150 crore to provide relief to the victims of rain and flood which had claimed 70 lives and caused property loss running into several crores of rupees, Revenue Minister K P Rajendran told the State Assembly today.

Replying to a spate of submissions by members from both the Treasury and Opposition benches, he said the Prime Minister's office had agreed to consider the demand favourably and the State was expecting substantial assistance.

Mr Rajendran said the Centre had also been urged to revise its norms raising the quantum of relief for natural calamities.

He said though the rain had abated, nearly 1,000 families were still living in 100 relief camps.

Apart from causing severe damage to houses and standing crops, the monsoon and consequent sea erosion had devoured 100 to 150 metres of land in the coastal belt, he said.

Replying to another submission by Mr K Babu (Cong), Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said 29 students had been arrested for disrupting the common entrance examination for the MBBS course conducted by the Private Self-financing Medical Colleges Association at a school in Kochi on June 23 last.

Replying to a Calling Attention by Mr Thomas Chandy (NCP), Food and Civil Supplies Minister C Divakaran said the State Civil Supplies Corporation had procured 15 lakh quintals of paddy from the farmers during the current crop season as against eight lakh quintals in the last season. The Corporation owed Rs 129 crore to the farmers and the amount would be disbursed soon.

UNI