Guwahati, July 28: With the cumulative death toll from this year’s floods in Assam rising to 75, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday announced a comprehensive relief and rehabilitation package for affected families, including enhanced ex gratia, cash assistance, educational support and compensation for damaged property.
Stating that the government would “leave no stone unturned” to help people rebuild their lives, Sarma unveiled a series of measures aimed at providing immediate relief as well as long-term rehabilitation for those hit by the devastating floods.
Under the package, families of those who died in flood-related incidents will receive the statutory ₹4 lakh ex gratia without the requirement of a post-mortem. Families of persons missing for more than 30 days will also be eligible for ₹4 lakh ex gratia, subject to the prescribed legal process.
In addition, the state government will provide an extra ₹5 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to the families of the deceased, over and above the ₹4 lakh compensation.
More than one lakh severely flood-affected families will receive ₹15,000 each as immediate cash assistance to meet essential needs.
The Chief Minister also announced that Orunodoi assistance will resume from August 1, with beneficiaries in Charaideo, Jorhat, Golaghat and Sivasagar receiving ₹2,500 for the month.
To minimise disruption to education, the government will provide book grants of ₹1,000 for Higher Secondary students, ₹3,000 for undergraduate students and ₹5,000 for postgraduate students in severely flood-affected districts. Free textbooks will be provided to all school students, while financial assistance will also be extended for purchasing school uniforms.
Students who lost their Class X and XII certificates and mark sheets in the floods will receive duplicate documents free of cost.
Sarma further said the assessment of damage to houses, livestock, fisheries and crops will begin on August 3, following which compensation will be released to eligible beneficiaries.
The announcements come as Assam shifts its focus from rescue to rehabilitation after one of the state’s most destructive flood spells in recent years, which has caused extensive damage to homes, agriculture, infrastructure and livelihoods across several districts.
