Congress urges state to provide cash aid to flood-hit

Mumbai: The Congress on Saturday urged the government to provide aid in the form of cash to those affected by the floods in the state. The state government had announced financial aid of Rs 154 crores to flood-affected people Friday.

Congress spokesperson and general secretary Sachin Sawant argued that the gravity of the situation as well as the number of bank holidays in the coming days would delay the distribution of aid. He said that the government should therefore amend its order and provide aid in the form of cash to the flood-affected people. Mr Sawant also wrote a letter to the chief minister demanding the same.

Mr Fadnavis clarified that the financial relief had been increased from the earlier Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 bracket to the Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 bracket. He said that some amount would be paid to the flood-hit people in cash while the rest would be deposited in their accounts. The banks had been told to disburse money only on the basis of know-your-customer (KYC) forms, as the flood-affected people might not be able to furnish bank passbooks at this juncture.

In Sangli, Mr Fadnavis said, “Earlier, the assistance was Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 which we have increased to Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000. We have even decided to give assistance in cash. Normally, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) objects to such practices but we are still going ahead looking at the situation.”

Meanwhile, Mr Sawant insisted that during natural calamities, past governments had provided assistance in cash. But as per this government’s decision, the financial help would be credited to the bank accounts of the flood-affected people.