Assam govt to provide new textbooks to flood-hit students

Assam Finance and Education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said the state government has decided to provide textbooks to the flood affected students within the month of August, those lost their textbooks in the flood.

“To get the benefit, the students have been asked to submit their requirement of new textbooks to respective heads of the schools by July 25 and the same will be forwarded to the district officials by the schools by July 30 and the new textbooks would be provided by the end of August,” Sarma said.

The Assam minister said that, more than 2.5 million people of 3951 villages under 114 revenue circles of 29 districts are affected in the current flood and claimed 52 lives till July 15.

“The flood waters submerged around 1,96,700 hectares crop areas of the flood-hit districts and damaging 12 numbers embankments, around 604 roads and culverts and 71 numbers bridge. Around 1.22 lakh people have been taken shelter in the 320 relief camps set up by the district administration,” Sarma said.

The Assam minister further said that, the district administration had distributed 40,640 quintal rice, 7,530 quintal dal, 2,462 quintal salt, 16,298 liters mustard oil, 28,674 numbers tarpaulin among the flood-affected people and set up 711 relief distribution centres.

“There is absolutely no dearth of funds in the state. The state finance department had already released adequate funds to the district commissioners before flood. The relief fund was unspent last year and still over Rs 300 crores are lying in the state coffers. We are asked to the district commissioners to provide adequate relief items to the flood-affected people,” the Assam finance minister said.

The Assam minister also instructed to the district commissioners to conduct extensive medical camps in the flood-hit areas once the flood waters gradually receding.

Himanta Biswa Sarma further said that, a ministerial group of the union government will visit the state soon and the centre asked the state government to submit a memorandum with all damage costs.

“Union health minister JP Nadda on Friday had released Rs 100 crore to the state government and we hope the centre will help the state to repair all flood damages,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The Assam minister said that, the state government had also provided feeds to the flood-affected animals in Kaziranga National Park.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)