PATNA: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Saturday launched online transfer of special financial assistance in the bank accounts of all drought-affected families in 96 blocks of 11 drought-hit districts, and asked the district magistrates concerned to ensure that all affected families in their district get the amount before the upcoming Chhath festival.
An amount of Rs 3,500 per family is being transferred directly in the bank accounts of drought affected families.
A total sum of more than Rs 71.49 crore were transferred directly in the bank accounts of over 2.04 lakh affected families on Saturday soon after Nitish launched the online transfer by pushing a button through a remote system from ‘Sankalp’ hall of the CM residence. The DMs of all 11 drought-hit districts namely Gaya, Aurangabad, Nawada, Jehanabad, Nalanda, Munger, Sheikhpura, Lakhisarai, Jamui, Bhagalpur and Banka were connected to the launching event through videoconferencing.
Secretary, disaster management, Sanjay Kumar Agrawal informed that when his department sent a proposal for the distribution of Rs 3,500 per family to the cabinet secretariat department for getting the cabinet’s nod, only 7,841 revenue villages in 96 blocks were identified as the drought-hit. “But now when we are taking the affected families of all villages and Tolas as per the CM’s instruction, the number of total drought-affected inhabitations may increase up to 22,000,” Agrawal said.
Agarwal further said as per initial estimate, around 18 lakh affected families would be provided a total sum of Rs 650 crore under this special financial assistance scheme.
Before formally launching the scheme, Nitish spoke to the DMs of all 11 affected districts one-by-one through videoconferencing and took assurance from all of them that Rs 3,500 would be transferred in the bank accounts of all affected families before the forthcoming Chhath festival.
The CM said a sum of Rs 500 crore has been provided and more funds would be given under the scheme. He said the DMs of all 11 affected districts would personally monitor and ensure that not a single affected family is left out under the scheme. The deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav also was present on the occasion.
State’s finance minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary assured the disaster management department’s secretary that more funds would be released at “faster pace” under the scheme whenever the DMD requires. Agrawal thanked the finance minister for providing Rs 500 crore as the first tranche under the scheme.
