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Disaster management: Vajpayee promises
long term plan for Orissa

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Sunday promised a long-term disaster management plan for Orissa to cope with frequent natural disasters.

After making an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas, the prime minister announced a Rs 435 crore (Rs 4.35 billion) relief package for the state.

Vajpayee said that state government has requested for rice and houses, which would be made available. The Centre would provide 300,000 tonnes of rice worth Rs 210 crore (Rs 2.10 billion) and Rs 225 crore (Rs 2.25 billion) for building an additional 100,000 Indira Awas Yojana houses, he said.

Though he did not announce any special package, he assured that the Centre was committed to stand by the people of Orissa.

He said the Centre had already given Rs 100 crore (Rs one billion) to the state government and more may be considered after submission of a detailed memorandum.

Noting that Orissa was often hit by natural disasters, Prime Minister Vajpayee said, "I will ask the Planning Commission to formulate a long term plan to help the state cope with natural disasters."

Vajpayee gave a clean chit to the state government saying, "I appreciate the state government for handling situation so well and for launching massive rescue and relief operation."

Vajpayee said that he decided not to visit the state during the height of the floods as it would have distracted relief and rescue operations.

He said that he was told by the state government that about eight million people had been affected by the floods and 800,000 people evacuated to safer places.

Earlier, Vajpayee along with five Union ministers reached Bhubaneswar by an Indian Air force aircraft and made an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas.

After the survey, he chaired a review meeting on rescue and relief operation with senior officials of the state government.

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