Kerala seeks addl Rs 74.43 cr for flood relief

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 7 (UNI) Kerala today sought an additional Rs 74.43 crore from the Centre to provide relief to those affected by floods, landslips and other calamities during monsoon this year.

Talking to newspersons here after a meeting with a Central team, headed by Union Joint Secretary (Home Affairs) S K Chattopadhyay, Revenue Minister K P Rajendran said that as per the revised memorandum, the State Government sought a total assistance of Rs 637 crore.

He said the Union Government should revise the guidelines for issuing compensation to the affected persons, especially those in the agriculture sector.

Mr Chattopadhyay said the team, which visited the flood-affected areas, would submit its report within a week.

As many as 199 people were killed, 1,784 houses destroyed and 40,140 houses damaged during the monsoon.

UNI