The death toll in the Assam floods has risen to 75, with seven more fatalities reported in the past 24 hours, even as the number of affected people declined to 3.32 lakh, officials said on Wednesday.
The state government has increased the ex gratia assistance for families of flood victims to Rs 9 lakh each and eased the norms for claiming the compensation.
Seven districts — Sivasagar, Charaideo, Golaghat, Jorhat, Nagaon, Sonitpur and Kamrup Metropolitan — continue to remain affected by the floods, impacting 21 revenue circles and 622 villages.
Charaideo remains the worst-hit district, with 1.42 lakh people affected, followed by Sivasagar (97,074) and Jorhat (57,371). The seven deaths reported on Tuesday occurred in Nazria revenue circle of Sivasagar district.
On Monday, six districts were affected, with 4.45 lakh people impacted.
As many as 81 relief camps are currently operational, providing shelter to 32,477 displaced people. Another 34 relief distribution centres are also functioning.
Multiple agencies, including the Army, Air Force, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire and Emergency Services personnel and civil volunteers, are engaged in rescue and relief operations.
Around 45,341.98 hectares of crop land have been submerged, while damage to houses, cattle sheds, schools and anganwadi centres has also been reported.
To ensure uninterrupted mobile connectivity, the intra-circle roaming facility has been extended in flood-affected areas of Sivasagar until 11.59 pm on July 30 or until further orders. The facility allows subscribers of different telecom providers to remain connected even if their own network is unavailable.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said special attention was being given to children affected by the floods to help them cope with the situation.
“Creating a congenial atmosphere for children in relief camps remains our focus. Dedicated spaces for learning and playing are helping ensure that the impact of floods does not interrupt their childhood,” Sarma said in a social media post on Wednesday, sharing pictures of children participating in learning activities at relief camps.
During a Facebook Live on Tuesday evening, Sarma announced relaxations in the norms for providing ex gratia assistance to the next of kin of those killed or missing in the floods.
He said the mandatory submission of post-mortem reports for availing the one-time grant had been waived, with a certificate issued by the circle officer being sufficient.
“Over and above the Rs 4 lakh ex gratia per victim that is paid at present, we have decided to give an additional Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund,” Sarma said.
For people missing in the floods, the government will provide Rs 9 lakh to their families if their bodies are not recovered within a month. The circle officer will be authorised to issue the required certificate.
Families severely affected in the four worst-hit districts — Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat — will receive an interim assistance of Rs 15,000 for household needs.
Students in Sivasagar and Charaideo will again receive support for free uniforms and textbooks. Higher secondary, undergraduate and postgraduate students will also be provided financial assistance to purchase books.
(With inputs from PTI)