This story is from August 11, 2020

Relax 25% SDRF cap, Pinarayi Vijayan urges PM Modi

Kerala has sought additional financial assistance from the Centre in the wake of the monsoon wreaking havoc in the state on top of efforts to contain the Covid-19 outbreak.
Relax 25% SDRF cap, Pinarayi Vijayan urges PM Modi
Despite the rain subsiding, some roads in Pathanamthitta are still inundated. A scene from Aranmula on Monday
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala has sought additional financial assistance from the Centre in the wake of the monsoon wreaking havoc in the state on top of efforts to contain the Covid-19 outbreak.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state has requested the Centre to allow it to utilize SDRF (state disaster response fund) for Covid-19 containment activities beyond the 25% expenditure cap. He made the appeal during a video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
Vijayan said he made the case for liberal aid with testing and quarantine facilities weighing heavily on the state’s finances.
A detailed report on the state’s financial liabilities will be submitted to the Centre. The CM said that with the state facing monsoon floods for the third consecutive year all possible precautions have been taken.
The death toll in the landslide at Pettimudy, Idukki has increased to 48, after five more bodies were recovered on Monday, the CM said. He said the search for 22 more persons is on with heavy rains staying away. Along with NDRF, state disaster management authority, police, fire force and forest department officials are undertaking the search for the remaining persons feared trapped in the debris, he added.
With rains abating, the overall situation in the state has improved. There are 25,057 persons in 720 relief camps across the state, Vijayan said.
The downpour has left 37 houses completely destroyed in Thiruvananthapuram, with another 218 suffering partial damage. There are 583 persons in two relief camps in the district. As much as 5,885 hectares of farmland was destroyed.
In Kollam, 373 persons are housed in six relief camps, while the 125 camps in Pathanamthitta are catering to 4,657 affected persons. Water continued to be released from Moozhiyar, Maniyar and Pamba dams in the district.

In Alappuzha, 4,449 persons have been housed in 74 relief camps. In Kottayam, 5,647 persons were relocated to relief camps. Water levels in the Meenachil and Manimala rivers continue to be above the danger level. In Ernakulam, there is no room for concern with water levels in major rivers yet to reach dangerous levels. The threat of landslides in Palakkad saw 27 persons being relocated to a relief camp.
In Wayanad, the respite from rains has improved the situation in the Karappuzha and Banasurasagar dams. Nearly 4,217 persons have been housed in 81 relief camps in the district, the CM said. He added that though the monsoon has weakened, the state will continue to be on high alert for some more days.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA