Flood Management In Budget: Sitharaman Assures Assistance To Bihar, Assam, Himachal And Uttarakhand

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman noted in her Budget speech that Assam grapples with floods every year due to the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries originating outside India.

"We will provide assistance to Assam for flood management and related projects," the Finance Minister said.

She then mentioned that Himachal Pradesh suffered extensive losses due to floods last year. "Our government will provide assistance for reconstruction and rehabilitation through multilateral assistance," she said.

Referring to Uttarakhand's losses due to cloudbursts and massive landslides, Sitharaman assured assistance to the state. Similar assistance will be given to Sikkim.

"Bihar has frequently suffered from floods. Many of them originating outside the country. Plans to build flood-control structures in Nepal are yet to progress," Sitharaman accepted.

She assured financial support to projects worth Rs 11,500 crore including the Kosi-Michi intrastate link and 20 other ongoing and new schemes of barrages, river pollution abetment and irrigation projects.

"Survey and investigation of Kosi-related flood mitigation and irrigation projects will be undertaken," the Finance Minister added.