Floods: Karnataka seeks Rs 4,000 crores special assistance from centre
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Monday said it has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide additional special assistance of Rs 4,000 crore to handle the flood situation in the state.
"As per the initial assessment Rs 4,000 crore loss has occurred. It is a preliminary estimate because rains are continuing. A proper survey has to be done," Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said.
Speaking to reporters after attending the virtual meeting chaired by the PM with Chief Ministers of six states to review the flood situation in the country, he said Karnataka had suffered huge damage in the 2019 floods, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the current flood situation, the government has requested the Centre to provide additional special assistance of Rs 4,000 crore, other than NDRF norms, he said.
"We also requested the Prime Minister to kindly direct the immediate release of the next installment of SDRMF of Rs 395 crore to Karnataka to take up relief and rehabilitation measures," he said.
This was a preliminary submission and a detailed memorandum would be sent to the Centre in the days to come, he said
Revenue Minister R Ashoka, along with Bommai, attended the video conference in the absence of Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who had been undergoing treatment for COVID-19.
The Chief Minister has since been discharged.
At the meeting, the Prime Minister directed officials to look into providing both immediate and long-term relief to affected states, the Ministers said.
Ashoka said the state government will utilise the funds available with it to manage the situation and provide relief to those affected until it received the central fund.
Several parts of Malnad, coastal and interior Karnataka have been ravaged by torrential rains, causing floods and landslides and affecting lives and property.
At least 12 districts have been affected, in which over 12 people have lost their lives since August 1.
Bommai said 56 taluks and 885 villages have been affected.
"Preliminary assessment of damage is around 3,000 houses, 80,000 hectares of crops, 3500 km of roads... also damage to electrical infrastructure, transformers, buildings, bridges, minor irrigation tanks are there," he said.
The Ministers said they gave details to the Prime Minister about the measures taken by the state to provide relief to those affected.
They informed him that four NDRF teams and 200 trained SDRF men have been positioned in vulnerable areas and thanked the Centre for reserving four IAF helicopters and deploying the Army for search and rescue operations.
Bommai said the state also suggested to the PM, certain long-term measures like commissioning a special project to study and establish an Integrated Flood Forecasting and Response System for inter-state river basins like in the Krishna Basin to mitigate flood damage.
"We also suggested a special project to study and establish Landslide Hazard Mapping and Development of Early Warning System for high vulnerable areas of western ghats in Karnataka and its adjoining states," he said.
The Home Minister said they requested an additional four NDRF teams to be deployed in Karnataka.
The state also suggested a scheme to handle soil erosion along the western coast on the lines of the National Cyclone Relief Mitigation Project (NCRMP), he added.
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Vande Bharat passenger finds live worms in packaged curd; vendor fined, contract terminated
New Delhi (PTI): The Railways has terminated the contract of a vendor after a passenger found worms in a packaged curd served to him on the Patna-Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express and imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh on the company.
The Railway Ministry has also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on its own company, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), for not handling the matter properly.
On March 15, a group of seven passengers on board the Vande Bharat train were served packaged curd of a known brand along with dinner. Upon opening one of the packets, they found live worms and insects inside. The passenger, Ritesh Singh, immediately flagged the issue on his X handle, tagging the IRCTC, the Railway Minister and others.
In its incident-cum-action taken report, IRCTC found that the curd packet was picked up from Patna, with a manufacturing date of March 9, 2026 and an expiry date of April 7, 2026.
The report stated that the officials apologised to the passengers and served them dry fruit mixtures and some sweet treats.
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"We tried to explain the situation to them in every possible manner and requested them to verify the matter at the spot. However, they refused to delete the tweet and expressed their intention that the video should go viral and trend,” the report said.
According to the report, the vendor, Krishna Enterprises, was fined Rs 25,000 and warned for negligence in food handling. The firm was also instructed to maintain a proper cold chain, be more vigilant and adhere to food safety protocols.
Dissatisfied with the IRCTC’s action, the Railway Ministry on Wednesday directed it to terminate the contract of Krishna Enterprises and enhance the fine from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50 lakh.
The ministry has also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on IRCTC.
"Considering the gravity of the lapses, the competent authority has decided to impose a fine of Rs 10 lakh on IRCTC for such deficiency in services. Further, IRCTC is advised to ensure strict monitoring of onboard services so as to prevent any such incident in future," the Ministry said in its order.
"All concerned IRCTC supervisors must be directed to ensure that food quality, food safety and hygiene are their prime concerns," it added.
The ministry also posted the matter on its X handle, stating, "The complaint regarding food quality raised by a passenger in train number 21896 (Patna-Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express) on 15 March, 2026 has been taken seriously.”
“Action taken - IRCTC has been penalised Rs 10 lakh, the service provider has been penalised with Rs 50 lakh, and has been ordered to terminate the contract. Passenger safety and quality remain our top priority,” the post read.
