Cyclone Nisarga: State hikes compensation for those hit

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar announced on Wednesday that the state government has increased the amount of the relief package so that those affected by Cyclone

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar announced on Wednesday that the state government has increased the amount of the relief package so that those affected by Cyclone Nisarga get significantly more compensation than what is granted by the National Disaster Response Fund. The state has already announced an immediate relief of ₹100 crore for Raigad, ₹75 crore for Ratnagiri and ₹25 crore for Sindhudurg.

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Pawar said cyclone-hit families whose houses have fully collapsed will be given Rs 1.5 lakh instead of ₹95,100 as per the existing National Disaster Response Fund norms. The aid for partial loss of homes has been increased to ₹15, 000 from the existing ₹6,000. Similarly, the state has increased the amount of the financial aid for the loss perennial crops to ₹50,000 per hectare from the existing ₹18,000 a hectare. Cash compensation for losses of household material, like clothes and utensils, has been increased to ₹10,000 from the existing Rs 5000. Pawar said the financial burden of the additional amount of relief would be borne by the state.

Cyclone Nisarga hit coastal districts of Maharashtra and preliminary estimates show damage to agriculture and perennial crops across more than 22,650 hectares in Raigad and Ratnagiri. Hundreds of villages in Raigad remain disconnected due to the loss of electricity and telephone services.

Relief and rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar said, “The restoration of the electricity will take at least 10-12 days, but the immediate relief of cash will be distributed in next two-three days,” he said.

For those without electricity, the state government has announced a distribution of five litres of kerosene to each family, free of cost. The government has also said food grains will be distributed, free of cost, to the affected families.

Pawar said the state government is also considering building pucca concrete houses for villagers in the cyclone-hit districts. “We have observed that houses with tin roofs have sustained more losses. The construction of the houses under Prime Minister Awas Yojana, with the Central grants of ₹1 lakh is the option being tapped,” he said.