Patna, September 16: Union agriculture and rural development minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited flood-affected areas of Bihar on Wednesday on the directions of prime minister Narendra Modi, travelling by motorboat, tractor and helicopter to assess crop damage and relief efforts in Hajipur, Vaishali, Munger and Bhagalpur.
Chouhan was accompanied by Bihar chief minister Samrat Choudhary, state ministers and senior officials from the Centre and the state government. He said water levels in the affected areas were nearly a foot higher than during the 2016 floods, and that banana and maize crops had been submerged for more than ten days, with close to 50 lakh people directly affected.
“Seeing farmers’ crops, on which they have invested their hard work and livelihood, submerged in floodwater is deeply painful. But farmers need not lose heart. The government is fully committed to protecting their livelihoods and supporting them through this difficult time,” Chouhan said.
He said the Bihar government had begun transferring Rs 7,000 directly into the bank accounts of affected families, and had deployed medical teams by boat to flood-hit areas along with arrangements for shelter, drinking water and food. Chouhan said a central inter-ministerial team would visit Bihar to assess losses to crops, roads, bridges, houses and livestock in detail, and that the Centre would provide financial assistance once the state government submitted a proposal under the National Disaster Response Fund.
Chouhan chaired a review meeting with central and state officials at the chief minister’s residence in Patna later on Wednesday to discuss relief distribution, healthcare, crop compensation and infrastructure restoration.