Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi Announces Rs 110 Crore Relief Package for Flood Victims

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday announced an initial Rs 110 crore assistance package for people affected by the ongoing floods in the state, as authorities began a detailed assessment of damage caused by the calamity. The floods have claimed at least six lives and damaged 3,567 houses across several districts.

Majhi assured that the state government stands firmly with affected families and directed officials to speed up rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations. He said immediate assistance would be provided based on preliminary assessments, while a comprehensive support package would be announced after completion of the final damage survey.

Under the relief measures, Gratuitous Relief (GR) will be extended to eligible beneficiaries in flood-hit areas until normal conditions return. The government had earlier released Rs 26 crore as advance funds for emergency relief and rescue operations.

According to Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, a joint survey by the Revenue and Agriculture departments has started in areas where floodwaters have receded. Teams will assess losses related to houses, human casualties, livestock and crops.

As per the announced compensation norms, families with completely damaged houses will receive up to Rs 1.2 lakh, while those with partially damaged pucca houses will get Rs 6,500. Assistance of Rs 4,000 will be provided for partially damaged kutcha houses and Rs 8,000 for fully damaged huts. Farmers will receive compensation of Rs 8,500 per hectare for rain-fed crop losses, Rs 17,000 per hectare for irrigated land and Rs 22,500 per hectare for perennial crops.

The initial assessment indicates that around 33,458.30 hectares of agricultural land has been affected. The floods have impacted 8,63,909 people across 22 districts, covering 1,458 villages in 85 blocks.

Families of the six people who died in the floods will receive Rs 4 lakh each under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms. Meanwhile, the family of a fireman who died during relief operations will receive Rs 1.05 crore through insurance and other service benefits.

Rescue operations continue in the worst-affected districts of Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur, with multiple teams from ODRAF, NDRF and Fire Services deployed to assist affected communities.