Will meet Modi to seek more funds for flood hit Karnataka: CM Yediyurappa
Bengaluru, Oct 5: A day after the Centre sanctioned Rs 1,200 crore as initial relief for flood ravaged Karnataka, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Saturday said he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and seek more funds.
"About Rs 35,000 crore is our rough (damage) estimate. We are yet to know the actual amount. Our state has suffered more losses than any other state due to floods this time.
I will meet the Prime Minister and seek more funds to be released from the centre. As immediate measure in the first stage Rs 1,200 core has been released by the central government," Yediyurappa said.
Speaking to reporters in Alamatti, Yediyurappa expressed the hope that more funds would be released at the earliest.
The Chief Minister said there was large-scale crop damage and added that he would seek the central government's cooperation as to what extent they could provide assistance.
In the next budget, the state government would also make provision for more funds for the purpose and try to give assistance to the maximum extent, he said.
Yediyurappa said the government would fulfill its commitment of providing Rs five lakh each for damaged houses for reconstruction.
Amid intense criticism over the delay in release of central funds for flood relief, the centre on Friday had announced release of Rs 1,200 crore in advance from the National Disaster Response Fund to Karnataka.
Not satisfied with the allocation, the state Congress termed it as a 'humiliation' to the people of the state.
Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah said "Rs 1,200 crore is not sufficient. We had asked Rs 5,000 crore as interim relief."
Speaking to reporters here, he said the state should put pressure on the central government to get more relief amount and till then, spend from its coffers.
Another senior Congress leader R V Deshpande said the state government should work more effectively and urged the Centre to release Rs 5,000 crore "immediately" for relief work, as Rs 1,200 crore was not sufficient.
As many as 103 taluks in 22 districts were affected due to the floods in August, in which over 80 people were killed.
Around seven lakh people were shifted to safe areas and thousands of houses were damaged.
Karnataka has sent a flood damage estimate of Rs 35,160.81 crore to the union government, reducing it by Rs 3,290 crore after the Centre objected to the inclusion of private buildings that were affected.
Meanwhile Revenue Minister R Ashoka told reporters here that as per NDRF guidelines, the state has to get Rs 3,891.80 crore, out of which Rs 1,200 crore was released, which was welcome.
"The guidelines were not prepared by the Narendra Modi government, but by the previous UPA government..... We request that the remaining amount also be released at the earliest," he said.
Clarifying that the centre had not rejected the state's flood report, he said they had just sought some clarification on it.
Ashoka's statement came amid media reports that the Centre had sent back the state government's report on flood and rain related damages in Karnataka.
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UP: Fake IAS officer marries woman, flees with Rs 15 lakh dowry
Gorakhpur (UP) (PTI): A newly married man fled with the Rs 15 lakh given to him as dowry by the bride's family, and it came to light later that he was an alleged serial scammer, police said on Sunday.
The accused, identified as Pritam Kumar Nishad from Etawah, allegedly posed as an IAS officer to deceive the woman into marrying him. He is currently absconding with his sister, and a case has been filed against him for cheating, dowry harassment, and forgery, officials said.
According to the police, the woman's family claimed that they spent nearly Rs 30 lakh for the wedding that was solemnised on March 11.
The match was arranged through a matrimonial group, where the accused introduced himself as an IAS officer, sharing purported interview clips, office visuals, and photographs with politicians to gain the family's trust.
Despite initially claiming he would marry without dowry, the accused allegedly demanded Rs 15 lakh shortly before the engagement. The bride's family paid Rs 10 lakh in cash during the engagement and the remaining Rs 5 lakh on the wedding day, the police said.
The fraud came to light on Saturday after the woman reached Etawah, and a wedding attendee informed the family that the accused was not a civil servant. When her relatives visited the address provided by him, they found her in a small rented room, while the accused and his sister had fled, the police added.
The woman has also alleged that the accused planned to take her to Goa and sell her, and accused him of inappropriate behaviour.
The police suspect that the accused may have been involved in multiple such marriages in the past. Based on a complaint lodged at the cantonment police station, an FIR was registered on Saturday evening.
Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Kaustubh said efforts are underway to arrest the accused.
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