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298 persons killed in Wayanad landslides: Govt tells Parliament
298 persons killed in Wayanad landslides: Govt tells Parliament
New Delhi, A total of 298 people were killed during the landslides that hit Kerala's Wayanad district last year, the government informed Parliament on Tuesday.
Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said that while the Centre does not maintain a central data of deaths/missing persons due to disasters, including landslides, the Kerala government informed it that the total number of deaths due to the landslide in Wayanad was 298.
Out of these, 32 missing persons have been declared as deceased, the minister told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.
Asked about the compensation provided by the Centre to the state, Rai said that based on a report of the inter-ministerial central team , the central government approved an amount of ₹153.47 crore, subject to the adjustment of 50 per cent of balance available in the state disaster response fund account, for the landslides, flash flood of 2024.
The amount also includes assistance for the air bills for utilising the services of the Indian Air Force helicopters for rescue and relief, as per actual, and actual expenditure for the clearance of debris, he said.
Besides, an amount of ₹388 crore has been allocated to the Government of Kerala for the financial year 2024-25 in SDRF, he said.
The instalment of ₹145.60 crore of the central share was released on July 31, 2024.
The second instalment of ₹145.60 crore of the central share was also released on October 1, 2024 in advance to the state, the minister said.
He added that the Kerala Accountant General reported a balance of ₹394.99 crore in its SDRF account as on April 1, 2024.
Thus, "sufficient fund" is available in the SDRF account of the state for relief operations, he said.
Rai said Kerala conducted a Post Disaster Need Assessment estimating a total requirement of ₹2,219 crore for recovery and reconstruction plan.
The landslides destroyed large tracts of three Wayanad villages Punchirimattom, Chooralmala and Mundakkai apart from some in Attamala when the disaster struck on July 30 last year.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
