Karnataka floods: 40 dead, 14 missing since August 1; over 580,000 rescued

Schools and colleges in affected flood-hit districts will remain closed till August 15

40 people have lost their lives while 14 are missing since August 1 due to floods in the state, a data released by Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) said. The state disaster monitoring centre has also said that 5, 81,702 people have been evacuated from the flood-hit areas.

“Since 1st August 2019, 40 people have lost their lives, 14 people missing, 5,81,702 people evacuated, 1168 number of relief camps operational and 17 districts and 2028 villages affected,” the KSNDMC informed.

Yesterday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah undertook an aerial survey of Karnataka flood-affected areas of Karnataka. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa briefed Shah about the rescue and relief operations, which are underway in the state and Belgaum district.

On Saturday, Yediyurappa had announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to next of kin of the deceased. Meanwhile, all schools and colleges — government and private — in affected flood-hit districts will remain closed till August 15.

Kerala reconstruction, rehabilitation: State seeks FRBM limit relaxation

Rehabilitation process of the floods, that claimed close to 350 lives, has gathered momentum

Kerala Flood : In order to open more fundraising channels for reconstruction and rehabilitation of its flood-hit areas, Kerala is set to approach the central government to increase its market borrowings limit from 3 per cent of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) to 4.5 per cent. The state is already in talks with the World Bank to raise Rs 100-150 billion. This comes at a time when the Centre has declined aid from foreign countries like the United Arab Emirates, which, according to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, promised “Rs 7 billion”.

If the Centre agrees to relax the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) rules for Kerala, its ability to raise money from the markets may increase by around Rs 115 billion. “At present, our FRBM limit is 3 per cent of GSDP, which we are planning to ask the Centre to increase to 4.5 per cent,” said a state official close to the development. However, senior Union finance ministry officials say there are strict parameters for relaxing the FRBM limit, and hence the borrowing and expenditure limits, for a state. 

There are no precedents for relaxing the FRBM limits for any state due to natural disasters.

“The FRBM limits are strictly defined and hence giving a one-time relaxation to Kerala because of the floods is unlikely,” said an official. “The state is free to borrow within its limits, and the central government will release more funds to help rebuild the state after the floods,” the person said.

As far as the central government is concerned, a well laid-down process is followed before deciding the aid to be given to a disaster-affected state, officials say. In case of drought, it is the Union agriculture ministry which takes the lead, and in case of other disasters, it is the Union home ministry.

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Karnataka rains: CM Kumaraswamy demands Rs 1 bn relief fund for Kodagu

Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday announced an ex gratia of Rs 500,000 for the families which were rendered homeless

Karnataka Rains : Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has urged the Centre to provide Rs 1 billion relief fund for rain-ravaged state’s Kodagu district.

Addressing the media, the chief minister said, “The Prime Minister has announced relief of Rs 5 billion for Kerala, we expect at least Rs 1 billion for Kodagu. We will request the central government for it. We have to repair roads for connectivity. We are taking help of the Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF),” Kumaraswamy said.

He added, “We conducted an aerial survey in Kodagu to review the flood situation. In all, 12 people have lost their lives. 845 houses have been damaged out of which 773 houses are partially damaged.”

Kumaraswamy stated that a total of 6,620 people have been rehabilitated in the relief camps. He said, “41 relief camps in Kodagu and nine relief camps in Dakshina Kannada have been set up and a total of 6,620 people are sheltered in these relief camps. An adequate supply of drinking water and milk is being ensured in these camps.”

Article Source : BS