Maharashtra to give free rations, kerosene to flood-hit people

The Maharashtra government will provide free food-grains and kerosene to the people in the flood-hit regions of the state, Food & Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said here on Saturday.

The special aid will be given to all the people who have lost everything and around 89,000 have been rendered homeless in the ravaged regions of Raigad, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Sangli, Kolhapur and Satara which are hit the most by the torrential downpour since Thursday.

Accordingly, the government will provide 10 kg wheat, 10 kg rice, five kg dal and five litre kerosene to each family, as per a government policy of March 2019, said the minister.

The kerosene will help people cook their meals since many areas are still waterlogged and are without electricity and other fuels supplies due to the floods have been hit since the past three days.

Bhujbal added that in those areas where the flagship government-run Shiv Bhojan Thali centres are submerged or washed out, the authorities will rush ready-to-consume packed meals from other nearby locations.

"We have decided to double the Shiv Bhojan Thali supplies to the six districts to help the people as there are other types of shortages due to muck and slush in homes, roads washed away and other problems of survival," the minister said.

For those wanting Shiv Bhojan Thali packets but are hampered by the absence of power supply, mobile and Internet connectivity, he said people will be permitted to use the tehsildar's machinery to order their requirements till normalcy returns.