PM sets up committee to oversee reconstruction in Uttarakhand

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday constituted a Cabinet committee to oversee reconstruction and rehabilitation in flood-ravaged Uttarakhand.

Defence Minister A K Antony, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Road Transport Minister Oscar Fernandes, Law Minister Kapil Sibal, Housing Minister Girija Vyas, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh and Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat are the members of the committee chaired by Dr Singh.

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and National Disaster Management Authority Vice Chairman M Shashidhar Reddy are the permanent invitees. The committee will provide broad guidance to reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in Uttarakhand, and take such decisions, as may be required, said a notification issued by the Cabinet secretariat.

Dr Singh has announced Rs 1,000 crore for disaster relief measures in flood-devastated parts of Uttarakhand.

The prime minister, who undertook an aerial survey of Uttarakhand along with United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on June 19, had released Rs 145 crore as immediate relief. He had also announced ex-gratia assistance of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of those who had lost their lives and Rs 50,000 each to the injured, from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.

The government has also decided to provide from PMNRF, an ex-gratia assistance of Rs 1 lakh each to those whose houses have been completely destroyed and Rs 50,000 each to those whose houses have been damaged.

Apart from the package of Rs 1,000 crore announced by Dr Singh, the government expects Rs 2,500 to 3,000 crore more from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank for the reconstruction and rebuilding efforts.

Different central ministries have also announced additional financial assistance to the hill state.

Image: The damage caused by floods in Uttarakhand last month