By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, August 20, 2019: Odisha appears to be finally getting its due from the centre with the Narendra Modi government sanctioning Rs 3338.22 crore for relief and restoration works necessitated by cyclone Fani that wreaked havoc in 11 coastal districts after making landfall on May 3.

The amount was sanctioned at a high-level committee meeting chaired by the Union home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Monday. Incidentally the sanctioned amount is over and above the funds released by the Centre to Odisha earlier which is Rs 1341 crore, official sources said.

The Centre had earlier released Rs 340.87 crore for Odisha in advance on April 29, days before the cyclone made landfall. Besides, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Odisha on August 6 had announced immediate assistance of Rs 1000 crore.

These apart, an ex-gratia sum of Rs 2 lakh were provided to next of the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to seriously injured in the Cyclone from PM’s Relief Fund, said an official statement. About 64 people lost their lives and 12 people received grievous injuries.

Though total loss to the public properties and requirement of fund for relief measures was estimated by the state government at Rs 9336 crores, it had sought an assistance of Rs 5227.68 crores from the National Disaster Response Fund in accordance with the disaster assistance norms.

The cyclone had affected 1.6 crores people and 1.88 lakh hectares of crop areas. A total of 5,56,761 houses have either been fully or partially damaged. While over 15.5 lakhs people were evacuated, the Centre had provided all necessary assistance in restoration of power supply and communication in affected districts, including that of providing necessary stores, gensets, steel poles and skilled manpower.

During cyclone Fani, the Centre had deployed 71 teams of NDRF, 19 columns of Army, 09 Engineering Task Force (ETF), 27 aircraft/helicopters and 16 Ships of Armed Forces for relief and rescue operations, said official sources.