Snake bites to boat mishaps, Uttar Pradesh expands disaster relief list
With the Yogi Adityanath government expanding the eligibility for compensation through the State Disaster Relief Fund, victims of man-animal conflict, snake bites, boat mishaps and choking due to sewage cleaning or gas leakage will now be eligible for financial assistance in Uttar Pradesh.
“The families of people who die in such tragedies will now get Rs 4 lakh,” said state relief commissioner Sanjay Kumar.
Mrityunjay Kumar, principal secretary to the chief minister, said Adityanath was disturbed by the large number of people falling victim to snake bites and house collapses in the monsoon. “The decision is meant to help the needy. A policy will now be in place for assistance under various heads,” he added.
The government has already issued a notification in this regard.
Till now, only those injured, dead or financially hit due to rain, lightning strikes, storms, floods, earthquakes, heat wave and other natural phenomena were covered under the State Disaster Relief Fund. “The norms for providing aid to victims in these newly included tragedies will be the same as those for other notified natural disasters. The scale of relief assistance will not exceed the norms of the State Disaster Relief Fund,” said Kumar.
Chief conservator of forests Ramesh Pandey said Uttar Pradesh has finally become a state where equal importance is given to human and animal lives. “Man-animal conflicts will now be treated as state disasters, and the entire government machinery will be deployed to tackle it,” he added.
Dr Sam Meesum, a senior medical officer who trains health workers to handle snake bite cases at 20 community health centres across the state, said five to ten snake-bite cases are reported from each such unit every month during the monsoon.
Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com
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Minister Darshanapur accuses Kumaraswamy of blackmailing voters over irrigation promise
Yadgir: Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s statement linking irrigation discussions to Nikhil Kumaraswamy's election win has drawn criticism from Yadgir district in-charge Minister Sharanabasappa Gouda Darshanapur, who accused him of "blackmailing voters."
Speaking to media in Shahapur on Wednesday, Darshanapur remarked, "Whether they vote for us or not, we have always worked for the people. The Congress has never resorted to blackmailing tactics on people."
He criticised the BJP’s focus on minor issues rather than development, stating, "People from the BJP question what the Congress has done. It was the Congress government that implemented major irrigation projects for farmers. BJP does not discuss development; instead, they highlight minor issues and make them appear significant."
Darshanapur alleged that Kumaraswamy's actions and style of leadership lacked integrity, saying, "The Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy acts in a deceitful way, and people talk a lot about his people. Can Siddaramaiah even be compared to Kumaraswamy? When Kumaraswamy was Chief Minister for the second time, he was operating from the West End Hotel. He has no moral right to comment on our party and leaders."
Addressing JD(S)’s stance on secularism, Darshanapur pointed out, "JD(S) claims to be secular, yet now they declare otherwise. They should have clarified this from the beginning."
He questioned the political influence of Kumaraswamy’s family, stating, "With so many of his family members involved in politics, don’t they have room for others? About 20-25 of his family members are MLCs, MLAs, and Rajya Sabha members. What about opportunities for others? That is why the JD(S) is in its current state."
Referring to JD(S) campaign strategies in Channapatna, he continued, "When his family members were MLAs of Channapatna, what development did they bring? Now, they have brought Deve Gowda to campaign in Channapatna by blackmailing him. Why is it necessary to make Deve Gowda campaign at this age? If they have that much influence, let them win the elections without such campaigning," Darshanapur challenged.
