AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved assistance Rs 1,000 crore for "immediate relief activities" in Gujarat after conducting an aerial survey of areas hit by cyclone Tauktae in the state, an official release said.
He also announced ex-gratia compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of those killed due to cyclone in all affected states.
Immediate financial assistance for the other affected states would be given after the respective state governments share assessment of the damage with the Centre, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) release added.
The announcement was made after Modi held a review meeting here with Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and top officials to assess the damage caused by the cyclone.
Gujarat will get additional assistance after an inter-ministerial team which will visit soon submits its assessment, the release said.
The prime minister announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the seriously injured in the cyclone across Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and the Union Territory of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, it said.
After arrival from Delhi at Bhavnagar airport, Modi, accompanied by Rupani, boarded a helicopter and conducted an aerial survey of affected areas in Gujarat and adjoining Union Territory of Diu to assess the damage.
The survey covered the Una taluka of Gir-Somnath district, Mahuva taluka of Bhavnagar and Jafrabad taluka of Amreli district besides Diu, the PIB release said.
Later, he chaired a meeting at the Ahmedabad Airport "to review the relief and rehabilitation measures being undertaken in Gujarat and Diu", said the release.
Chief minister Rupani and state Chief Secretary Anil Mukim were also present at the meeting.
The cyclone, which made landfall between Diu and Una town of Gir-Somnath district on Monday night after barrelling along India's west coast, left a trail of devastation.
Modi assured the people of Gujarat that the Centre would closely work with the state government and extend all possible assistance for restoration and rebuilding of infrastructure in the affected areas, the release said.
He also took stock of the coronavirus pandemic situation in the state and stressed the need to ensure that preventive measures are also taken, the release said.
The PM expressed complete solidarity with all those who suffered due to the cyclone in different parts of the country and expressed deep sorrow to the families who have lost their kin during the calamity, it added.
The Centre is working closely with the affected state governments in the wake of the situation post the cyclone, the PM said.
"We have to continue to focus on more scientific studies relating to disaster management," he said, and called for stress on enhancing intra-state coordination as well as using modern communication techniques to ensure quicker evacuation from affected areas.
Immediate attention should be given to repairing damaged houses and properties, the release quoted the PM as saying.
According to the Gujarat government, 45 persons lost their lives in cyclone-related incidents in the state.
Tauktae triggered heavy rains from Saurashtra coast to North Gujarat.
Over 16,000 houses were damaged, more than 40,000 trees and over 70,000 electric poles uprooted, while 5,951 villages faced total power blackout, it said.
Meanwhile, the NCP, which is one of the constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), on Wednesday wondered whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aerial survey of the cyclone-hit areas in Gujarat and Diu amounted to discrimination against Maharashtra which too was affected by the cyclonic storm.
Taking a dig, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said the PM was not conducting an aerial survey of the cyclone-hit areas in Maharashtra because he knew that the state is led by a strong chief minister unlike in his home state Gujarat.
The prime minister reached Bhavnagar in Gujarat on Wednesday to review the situation in the state in the aftermath of the cyclone and proceeded for an aerial survey of Una, Diu, Jafarabad and Mahuva, an official said.
After the survey, the PM is scheduled to hold a review meeting at Ahmedabad.
"Today PM Modi ji is taking an ariel survey of #CycloneTauktae affected areas of Daman, Diu and Gujarat. Why not the same of the areas affected in #Maharashtra? Is this not clear cut discrimination?" Maharashtra minister and NCP's national spokesperson Nawab Malik tweeted.
The NCP is one of the constituents of the Sena-led state government.
Before making landfall in Gujarat late Monday night, cyclonic storm Tauktae had battered many areas in Maharashtra, particularly in the coastal region.
The cyclonic storm had left behind a trail of destruction in coastal areas of Gujarat, killing 45 people across 12 districts, officials said on Wednesday.
"The prime minister is not conducting an aerial survey of Maharashtra to assess the damage caused due to the cyclone because he is aware that the state is being led by a strong and able leader like (chief minister) Uddhav Thackeray who is capable of handling all kinds of problems," Raut told reporters.
The Sena MP sarcastically said there was no need to criticise the PM's visit to only Gujarat when the cyclone has caused damage elsewhere too.
"The PM is touring his home state where there is a weak state government and the cyclone has caused a maximum damage," he said.
The cyclone has wreaked havoc in Maharashtra and Goa as well, Raut added.
(With inputs from ANI)