KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday reached New Delhi for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during which she is expected to make a demand for Central aid worth Rs 30,000 crore for the rehabilitation of 60 lakh people affected by the recent floods. Around 130 people have died in the floods, which also destroyed crops and vegetables on 8,000 hecatres of agricultural land.
“The total loss of property in the floods is estimated to be about Rs 30,000 crore. During my meeting with the Prime Minister on Wednesday I will raise the demand for the funds and also appeal to him to waive farmer loans,” the CM said.
Mamata had earlier said that she would meet the Prime Minister to seek funds since the World Bank had provided funds worth Rs 2,361 crore to six states in the country. The funds were meant for disaster management, including floods and cyclone and to build infra-structure to combat natural calamities.
Didi had come in for severe criticism from the Opposition due to lack of distribution of relief among the flood affected people and particularly for the state government imposing a ban on any non-governmental organisations, including political parties from carrying out relief and rescue operations. However, the TMC leaders and workers have been engaged in distributing flood relief which the Opposition alleged was an attempt to alienate them.