Yediyurappa meets PM, seeks immediate funds for flood relief
Bengaluru, Aug 16: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and appealed for the release of funds immediately to take up relief works in the flood and rain-ravaged state.
Responding to his appeal, the Prime Minister assured tosend central study team soon to assess the damage due to the floods, the Chief Minister said in the national capital after the meeting.
"State is hit by a calamity that has not taken place in the last 108 years. Fifteen days ago there was drought situation, but today dams are full and because of excess water released from Maharashtra there is damage caused, about all these things we have brought to the notice of the Prime Minister," Yediyurappa said.
The Karnataka Chief Minister said the Prime Minister "understood everything" and soon he will be sending a team for assessment.
"We have asked for release of funds as immediate relief. He (PM) said, he will discuss and let us know. I'm confident that he is in know of the situation in the state as he has already gathered information. Let's wait and see," he added.
Recently, Yediyurappa had requested the Centre to releaseRs 3,000 crore as interim relief immediately to take up rehabilitation work.
Hitting out at the BJP-led Central government over the "delay" in announcing relief, despite Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman personally assessing the situation, the opposition parties-both Congress andJD(S) had demanded immediate release of Rs 5,000 crore as interim relief.
Asked if there was any assurance from the Prime Minister on Rs 3,000 crore as immediate relief, Yediyurappa merely said: "According to an estimate losses over Rs 40,000 crore."
"They include-(damaged) houses, roads, bridges- we have to find solutions to all these things. We have informed the Prime Minister about all these things," he added.
According to a release from the Chief Minister's office,during the 45-minute meeting Chief Minister appraised the PrimeMinister about the grave situation of the flood-hit areas in the state and explained that the losses suffered due to floods was unseen before, and more funds are required to take up relief measures and rebuild the lives of the victims.
Chief Secretary to Government T M Vijay Bhaskar, Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister, P Ravikumar werepresent at the meeting, it added.
The death toll in flood and rain ravaged Karnataka has reached 62 till Thursday night, while 14 people are still classified as missing, and nearly seven lakh people have been evacuated till date.
As many as 943 relief camps are operational, where clean drinking water, food and other relief materials are being provided to 3,57,243 people housed in them.
According to the government, 103 taluks in 22 districts have been affected by floods and incessant rains in the past few days, resulting in loss of agriculture and horticulture crops on 5.35 lakh hectares and damaging 71,234 houses.
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SC directs states, UTs to furnish updated details on prisons, including overcrowding
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has directed all the states and Union territories to furnish updated details relating to jails, including the sanctioned capacity of each prison and steps taken to check overcrowding, by May 18.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta also asked the states and UTs to provide details about the number of women’s prisons within their jurisdictions and the facilities available in them, including the measures taken to ensure education and overall welfare of children living with the female inmates.
The bench noted that senior advocate Gaurav Agrawal, who is assisting the top court as an amicus curiae in a suo motu matter concerning inhuman conditions in jails, has drawn its attention to the fact that the statistics placed on record by the states and UTs pertain to 2023.
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The bench said that, having regard to the nature of issues involved and the necessity of an informed adjudicatory exercise, the availability of updated contemporaneous data was indispensable for the effective consideration of the proceedings.
“Accordingly, we deem it appropriate to direct all the states and Union territories to place on record updated and comprehensive statistics relating to all prisons situated within their respective jurisdictions,” the bench said in its order passed on March 17.
It said the data shall include jail-wise capacity of each prison, total number of prisoners, percentage of overcrowding in each jail, steps proposed to address overcrowding, details of women’s jails, facilities provided to women prisoners and children accompanying them (including educational and medical facilities), sanctioned strength of prison staff, existing vacancies, steps taken to fill them, along with all ancillary aspects relating to prison administration.
The bench directed the states and UTs to furnish complete particulars indicating the sanctioned capacity of each prison and the total number of prisoners lodged as on March 1, 2026, along with jail-wise details reflecting the extent of occupancy.
The apex court said the states and UTs would file comprehensive affidavits, duly sworn by the home secretary, providing the requisite details by May 18.
It said the top court registry would forward copies of the affidavits received from the states and UTs to the amicus, who would prepare a comprehensive note detailing the statistics and information provided by them.
It posted the matter for hearing on May 26.
