VIJAYAWADA: The State government on Sunday refuted false claims circulating on social media that Rs 23 crore was spent on matchsticks and candles during flood relief efforts.
Condemning the misinformation, Special Chief Secretary (Revenue) RP Sisodia said such claims are baseless and aimed at misleading the public. He clarified that the expenditure was primarily for mobile generators to assist flood-affected residents during power cuts at night, and not solely for candles and matches as falsely alleged.
Sisodia urged the public to ignore the rumours and trust verified information. He reiterated the government’s commitment to providing necessary relief to flood victims.
Errors in bank details of 21,000 victims identified
Meanwhile, officials identified 21,768 flood victims, who had incorrectly registered their bank account details. These errors have since been corrected, and Rs 18.69 crore in flood relief will be deposited into the accounts of the affected families by Monday evening.
Last week, a large number of flood victims had staged protests at the NTR District Collectorate, complaining of lapses in the enumeration of flood damage. More than 2.3 lakh families were affected in the flash floods triggered by the breach to the Budameru Rivulet.
The protestors claimed that several victims were ignored during the enumeration.