BHUBANESWAR: The State Government will seek an early release of assistance from Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) for reconstruction works in the flood-affected areas.The Government on Saturday earmarked Rs 1,208 crore for reconstruction works in the affected areas within next 45 days and the Centre will be requestedfor early release of the second dose of assistance from the CRF, Chief Secretary BK Patnaik told mediapersons after a review meeting.The Centre had released Rs 154 cr in the first instalment from the CRF prior to the floods. The State’s share in the CRF is Rs 411 cr for the current fiscal. TheCentre will be requested on Monday to release second instalment immediately, he said. Of the Rs 1,208 cr, earmarked to be spent in 45 days, Water Resources Department requires ` 309.37 cr followed by ` 250 cr by Agriculture, ` 151 cr by Panchayati Raj, ` 108 cr each by Works and Womenand Child Development and ` 109 cr by Rural DevelopmentDepartment.Health and Family Welfare, Energy, Fisheries, and Housing and Urban Development departments would also undertake massive activities in the floodhitareas during the period, the Chief Secretary said adding ` 250 cr would be disbursed to affected farmers as agriculture input subsidy.The Government also decided to start work on creating mounds where construction of helipads, flood and cyclone shelters and godowns for storage of relief materials in flood-prone areas will be taken up so that food material can be dumped at the time of need, Special Relief Commissioner PK Mohapatra said. Airdropping of food packets could not be possible in many areas inundated by floodwater. The Government has decided to develop 25 mounds having integrated helipad facilities and storage space for safe delivery ofrelief. For each facility Rs 2 cr will be spent, he said.As a large number of anganwadi centres were damaged in the recent floods, the Government has decided to construct 2,000 new anganwadi centres.Each centre will cost Rs 5 lakh.
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