Tejashwi Yadav demands special flood relief package for Bihar

Patna: An aerial view of a flood-inundated area following a rise in the water level of Ganga river, in Patna, Bihar. (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday demanded a special package for flood victims in Bihar, alleging that the Centre was discriminating against the state and that the state treasury was empty. “The government should provide a special package for flood victims. The central government is discriminating against Bihar. Bihar's state treasury is empty,” Yadav said talking to reporters. He added that he and his party workers were continuously visiting flood-affected areas, where people were not receiving adequate facilities. "We are continuously going among the flood victims, and they are not getting any facilities..."

According to the disaster management department, more than 40 lakh people across 514 panchayats in 84 blocks of 14 districts have been affected by the floods. Though floodwaters have started receding along the Ganga and the basins of other major rivers, relief and medical operations have been stepped up in affected areas. Bhagalpur remains among the worst-hit districts, with more than 6.4 lakh people and nearly 1.5 lakh families affected. The number of flood-hit panchayats in the district has risen from 82 to 92, while affected villages have increased from 269 to 376. A total of 710 Zila Parishad wards have also been affected.