Bihar will provide Rs 7,000 each to flood victims by Oct 9: Minister Madan Sahani

Patna, Oct 4 (IANS) Bihar Minister Madan Sahani on Friday said that the state government will provide Rs 7,00 each to the flood-affected people by October 9, to bring relief and joy to them during the festive season.

Sahani said this aid will be disbursed directly into beneficiaries' bank accounts via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), just ahead of the Durga Puja festival.

On Wednesday, Bihar Rural Work Minister Ashok Choudhary said the government will provide financial support by depositing Rs 7,000 directly into the bank accounts of those impacted by the floods.

Earlier, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar visited Darbhanga, one of the severely impacted districts, and inspected various relief measures, including a community kitchen and a food packaging centre, which were set up to aid flood victims in the region.

His visit underscored the government's commitment to ensuring relief and rehabilitation in flood-hit areas.

The flood situation in Bihar has worsened as breaches in multiple embankments have led to widespread inundation across several districts.

Recently, the flood situation in Darbhanga became critical after a breach occurred in the embankment of the Bagmati River in Madhkaul village.

The Chief Minister had conducted an aerial survey of the flood-affected regions in North Bihar and the Seemanchal area on Tuesday, to assess the severity and scale of the disaster.

Due to heavy rainfall in Nepal's catchment areas, rivers in bordering districts flew above or at danger level exacerbating the flood situation in the state.

Notably, the Kosi Barrage at Virpur block released 5.49 lakh cusecs of water on September 27 and 6.61 lakh cusecs on September 29. Similarly, the Valmikinagar Gandak Barrage released 5.01 lakh cusecs on September 27 and 5.62 lakh cusecs on September 29.

The extensive water release has resulted in severe flooding in districts such as West Champaran, East Champaran, Gopalganj, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Supaul, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Araria, Purnea, Kishanganj, and Katihar.