Government releases Rs 600 crore aid to Kerala
New Delhi, Aug 21 : The Centre on Tuesday released Rs 600 crore to the Kerala government for relief work in the flood-ravaged state and decided to waive Customs Duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) on relief materials being imported.
The money released included Rs 500 crore announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rs 100 crore by Home Minister Rajnath Singh during their visits to the state, said a Union Home Ministry statement.
The money was released after the sixth consecutive meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) chaired by Cabinet Secretary P.K. Sinha here.
The NCMC has been meeting since August 16 to review the rescue and relief operations in Kerala which faced the worst floods in nearly 100 years, leaving around 370 persons dead and lakhs homeless.
The meeting was attended by Kerala Chief Secretary Tom Jose via video conferencing in which he said that "the situation (in Kerala) is now improving by and large though there are some isolated pockets: still under water. But the "water levels are receding fast".
The Finance Ministry informed the NCMC that it had decided to "waive the Customs Duty and GST on the relief materials being imported to aid the people in the flood-affected areas in Kerala".
The Department of Food and Public Distribution said it had made additional allocation of 89,540 tonnes of rice as per the state government's request while the Consumer Affairs Department said it was sending additional quantities of green gram and Tur dal, in addition to 100 tonnes of pulses supplied earlier.
Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies have contributed Rs 25 crore to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund in Kerala, the NCMC said.
The Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has opened special points in the flood affected areas for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) distribution and permission had been granted, in coordination with the state government, for non-certified vehicles to carry LPG cylinders.
The Ministry said it had also made available 3.2 lakh LPG cylinders and 2.2 lakh regulators.
Indian Railways said it had so far supplied 24 lakh litres of drinking water in addition to 2.7 lakh water bottles. Another 14 lakh litres water was available at Ernakulam district.
The Railway Ministry said it had also made arrangements for supply of bed sheets and blankets and that trains on all sections had resumed.
"Railways is also transporting relief materials from various states to Kerala free of cost," the NCMC was told.
The NCMC was apprised that an action plan had been prepared for restoration of power supply in all the affected areas. "About 94 percent of telecom towers have been made functional. Power supply to telephone exchanges is being restored on priority."
The Health Ministry said it would supply three crore chlorine tablets in addition to one crore tablets supplied earlier and that 30 tonnes of bleaching powder and 1.76 lakh sanitary pads had also been sent.
"Additional quantities will be sent in the next few days."
The Ministry declared that no major outbreak of disease had been reported so far.
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries said essential spices, salt, tea and coffee were being supplied as per the state government's requirement.
"As the rescue operations wind down, the state administration has started de-requisitioning the teams of Defence Forces and NDRF," the NCMC told.
The NCMC meeting was attended by secretaries of Central ministries including Health, Telecom, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Power, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Commerce and Textiles and senior officers of Defence Forces, Ministry of Home Affairs and National Disaster Management Authority.
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Trump launches new effort to reopen Strait of Hormuz
Dubai (AP): US forces on Monday launched an effort to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, where hundreds have been stuck since the Iran war began.
Two American-flagged merchant ships have “successfully transited” through the critical waterway, the US military said. Separately, the US military denied Iran's claims that it struck an American Navy vessel southeast of the strait.
Iran handed over its latest proposal for negotiations with the US to mediators in Pakistan, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported Friday. Trump subsequently said he's “not satisfied” with it, but did not elaborate on the proposal's apparent shortcomings. The shaky ceasefire between the US and Iran has lasted for three weeks.
Here's the latest:
European leaders see Trump's troop drawdown from Germany as new proof they must go it alone
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European leaders on Monday said President Trump's snap decision to pull thousands of US troops out of Germany came as a surprise but is a fresh sign that Europe must take care of its own security.
The Pentagon announced last week that it would pull some 5,000 troops out of Germany, but Trump told reporters Saturday that “we're going to cut way down. And we're cutting a lot further than 5,000.”
He offered no reason for the move, which blindsided NATO, but his decision came amid an escalating dispute with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the US-Israeli war on Iran, and Trump's anger over European allies' reluctance to get involved in the conflict in the Middle East.
Wall Street hesitates and oil prices climb with uncertainty about the Strait of Hormuz
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The US stock market is holding tentatively near its record heights Monday, while oil prices climb with uncertainty about when oil tankers can resume crossing the Strait of Hormuz and restore the world's flow of crude. Dueling claims about a possible Iranian strike on a U.S. Navy vessel in the strait heightened the tensions.
The S&P 500 slipped 0.1 per cent, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 216 points, or 0.4 per cent, as of 9:35 am Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.1 per cent.
The action was stronger in the oil market, where the price for a barrel of Brent crude climbed 2 per cent to USD 110.37 and briefly topped USD 114 during the morning. Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to its war with the United States has kept oil tankers pent up in the Persian Gulf and away from customers worldwide. That in turn has sent the price of Brent soaring from roughly USD 70 per barrel before the war.
Iran stands firm on its grip of the strait
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The disruption of the waterway has squeezed countries in Europe and Asia that depend on Persian Gulf oil and gas, raising prices far beyond the region.
Trump has promised to bring down gas prices as he faces midterm elections this year.
The US has warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying Iran for transit of the strait. It has enacted a naval blockade on Iranian ports since April 13, telling 49 commercial ships to turn back, U.S. Central Command said Sunday. The blockade has deprived Tehran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy.
US officials have expressed hope the blockade forces Iran back to the negotiation table.
US claims progress in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, saying two merchant ships have transited
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The US military said Monday that two American-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz and Navy guided-missile destroyers in the Persian Gulf were helping to restore shipping traffic. It separately denied Iran's claims to have struck an American Navy vessel.
The announcement came a day after US President Donald Trump announced a new initiative to help guide ships through the critical waterway for global energy. Iran has effectively closed the strait since the US and Israel started the war Feb 28, rattling the global economy.
The US-led Joint Maritime Information Center has advised ships to cross the strait in Oman's waters, saying it set up an “enhanced security area.” U.S. Central Command didn't say when the Navy ships arrived or when the merchant vessels departed.
It was unclear whether shipping companies, and their insurers, will feel comfortable taking the risk given that Iran has fired on ships in the waterway and vowed to keep doing so.
