PM Narendra Modi conducted aerial survey of areas affected by Cyclone Amphan in West Bengal. CM Mamata Banerjee also accompanied him.
Kolkata| This afternoon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared a Rs 1,000 crore “advance interim assistance” for West Bengal after he conducted an aerial survey of the areas in damaged by Cyclone Amphan.
Cyclone Amphan has killed 80 people in the state.
Prime Minister was accompanied by state CM Mamata Banerjee and Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on the survey. PM Modi assured the central government’s full support for Bengal.
“Rs. 1,000 crore advance assurance will be given to West Bengal,” PM Modi said in Basirhat on North 24 Parganas district, after the aerial survey. “All aspects relating to rehabilitation, reconstruction will be addressed. We all want West Bengal to move ahead. The centre will always stand with West Bengal in these testing times. We will work together to ensure that Bengal stands on its feet again,” PM said.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was seated some distance away from Prime Minister Modi during his briefing.
All three – the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister and the Governor – were seen in face masks as they took stock of the situation and looked down at the cyclone-hit areas from their helicopter.
Ms Banerjee and Governor Dhankhar had received PM Modi at the airport in Kolkata shortly before 11 am.
Also Read: India Now Has More Than One Lakh COVID-19 Cases, Over 3,000 Deaths
On Wednesday, the strong cyclone ravaged thousands of homes, leaving officials grappling to mount relief efforts amid the COVID-19 crisis. WB took the brunt of Cyclone Amphan, which barreled into the coast with gusting winds of up to 185 km per hour.
West Bengal CM said the impact of Amphan was worse than the coronavirus pandemic.
The cyclone also caused widespread devastation in Odisha, ravaging power and telecom infrastructure in many coastal districts. It has affected around 44.8 lakh people in the state, officials of the state government assessed.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
