Interim flood relief: Telangana and Gujarat floods reveal Centre’s bias

Neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor union Home Minister Amit Shah has made any announcements or assurances regarding the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

Hyderabad: The BJP-led NDA government at the Centre is continuing to adopt a discriminatory approach towards Telangana on the issue of extending flood relief funds.

Though last week’s rains have caused extensive crop and property damage and at least 18 people lost their lives in various rain-related incidents in the State during the last few days, the Centre has sent an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) to do just an on-the-spot assessment.

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No announcement or assurances have been given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi or union Home Minister Amit Shah, under whose ministry the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) falls. Even the team which has come will only do assessment of damage and further upon submission of the State government’s detailed memorandum, the Central team may visit the State again for the second time.

And how long the Central team takes for its second visit and submits the report to the Centre is anybody’s guess. Even during 2020, when Hyderabad city witnessed heavy downpour and several areas were submerged, no substantial help came from the Centre, despite Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao writing to the Prime Minister and requesting an immediate help of Rs 1,350 crore and Rs 5,000 crore from the NDRF funds.

On the other hand, Modi approved assistance of Rs 1,000 crore for “immediate relief activities” in Gujarat after conducting an aerial survey of areas hit by cyclone Tauktae in the State in 2021. Last year too when Gujarat witnessed heavy rains, the Prime Minister contacted Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to inquire about the situation and offered all possible support.

Even as Gujarat has been getting immediate assistance, the situation reveals the gross apathy shown towards Telangana by the Centre. In fact, the Centre has not allotted a single rupee under the NDRF funds to Telangana during the last five years. This was revealed in a statement placed by the union home ministry in the Lok Sabha during the last monsoon session.

This is when the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh received Rs.4,538.43 crore in last four years, Karnataka got Rs.6,480.69 crore and Maharashtra received Rs.8,754.5 crore.

Calling out the biased approach of the Centre, Twitter user Nayini Anurag Reddy tweeted: “Floods of injustice: Unequal treatment in natural disaster relief. Floods in Gujarat: PM Modi conducts an aerial survey and promptly extends Rs. 1,000 cr under NDRF. Floods in Telangana: Central teams only visit & assess the damage with the total release standing at ‘Zero’.”