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GUWAHATI : The flood situation in Assam improved slightly, with the number of affected people coming down to 178,000 even though the count of districts hit by the deluge increased to seven, officials said on Sunday. The toll remained unchanged at 82 as no fresh fatalities were reported in the state in the last 24 hours, they said. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will be visiting the worst-hit areas from Sunday, even as the Centre sanctioned over Rs 370 crore under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), the officials said. A total of 349 villages in Golaghat, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Bajali, Dhemaji, Sonitpur and Jorhat districts remained affected by the deluge. Charaideo was the worst-hit, with 75,199 people affected, followed by 58,824 in Sivasagar. Forty-four relief camps were operational in the state, providing shelter to around 15,000 displaced people. Another 17 relief distribution centres were also working, catering to 5,569 people. A crop area of 15,060 hectares remained submerged, while 1,543 animals were washed away and another 6,765 were affected. Sarma expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for extending all assistance to the flood-hit state. “The approval of ₹379.35 cr under the SDRF and the timely deputation of Inter-Ministerial Central Teams to Assam reflect the Centre’s unwavering commitment to standing with our people,” Sarma said in a post on social media. The CM will be touring the affected districts to oversee the relief work and ensure that proper damage assessment is done. “In a short while from now, I will be reaching Dibrugarh and thereafter to the flood-affected areas to meet the people, oversee ongoing relief efforts and lay the groundwork for a full proof assessment exercise to ensure appropriate compensation to the affected,” he said. Sarma had reviewed the relief and rehabilitation work in the worst-hit four districts in a virtual meeting from Guwahati on Saturday. “HCM Dr. @himantabiswa today reviewed the ongoing relief and rehabilitation efforts in the flood-affected districts of Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat with the respective District Commissioners,” the chief minister’s office (CMO) said in a social media post. The chief minister directed the DCs to expedite the submission of the list of affected families to enable the release of financial assistance from August 3, ensure uninterrupted distribution of relief kits, complete damage assessment of educational institutions ahead of the reopening of schools on August 10 and submit the list of damaged ‘Namghars’ (Vaishnavite centres of prayer) for early restoration support. “HCM also informed that the comprehensive flood damage assessment will begin on August 9,” the CMO added. (Source: PTI)

ITANAGAR : Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Saturday said the Centre’s advance tax devolution of Rs 1,476 crore to Arunachal Pradesh will strengthen the frontier state’s finances, enabling faster implementation of capital projects, infrastructure development and public welfare initiatives. The Union Government on Saturday released tax devolution of Rs 1,09,019 crore to state governments, as one advance instalment to accelerate their capital and developmental expenditure. Khandu expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for the advance release, describing it as a reflection of the Centre’s commitment to cooperative federalism. “Heartfelt gratitude to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji and Hon’ble Union Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman Ji for releasing an advance instalment of tax devolution to the states, reinforcing the spirit of cooperative federalism,” Khandu said in a post on X. The chief minister said the allocation is particularly significant for Arunachal Pradesh, given its strategic location and challenging geographical conditions. “Arunachal Pradesh has been allocated Rs 1,476 crore as part of this advance release, an amount that is particularly significant for a small, strategically important, and geographically challenging frontier state,” he said. Khandu further observed that on a per capita basis, Arunachal Pradesh continues to receive one of the highest shares among Indian states, reflecting the Finance Commission’s recognition of our vast terrain, sparse population, infrastructure needs, and strategic importance. He said the timely release would further strengthen the state’s finances and speed up the execution of key development projects. “This timely release will strengthen the state’s finances, enabling faster implementation of capital projects, infrastructure development, and public welfare initiatives that directly benefit our people,” the chief minister added. (Source: PTI)      

ITANAGAR : Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and heavy rainfall are likely to affect several districts of Arunachal Pradesh from Sunday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The weather office warned that Papum Pare could receive very heavy rainfall (12-20 cm in 24 hours) at isolated places. Heavy rainfall of 6-11 cm has also been forecast in isolated areas of West Kameng, Lepa Rada, East Siang and Lohit districts, prompting authorities to advise people to remain alert. According to the district-wise warning issued by the Meteorological Centre here, thunderstorms and lightning have also been predicted for several parts of the state. A ‘yellow alert’ (be aware) has been issued for Papum Pare, Lower Siang, Lower Dibang Valley, Lohit, Anjaw and a few adjoining districts, while no warning has been issued for most other districts. On Monday, the weather is expected to improve across much of the state, although some districts are likely to remain under a weather watch. A ‘yellow alert’ has been issued for Anjaw, while parts of Papum Pare, Lower Siang and Lepa Rada are also likely to experience thunderstorms and rain. The forecast for Tuesday indicates a further reduction in adverse weather conditions, with only a few districts, including Anjaw, Lower Siang, Papum Pare, Lepa Rada and West Kameng, expected to remain under a yellow watch. The rest of the state is likely to witness comparatively stable weather. On Wednesday, weather conditions are expected to improve further, with only isolated districts in western and eastern Arunachal remaining under watch for rain and thunderstorms, while the majority of the state is likely to be free from any weather warning. By Thursday, only a handful of districts, including Anjaw, Changlang, Lohit, Lower Dibang Valley, Lower Siang and Papum Pare, are expected to remain under a yellow watch, indicating a gradual easing of the current wet spell across the northeastern state. The IMD has advised people living in vulnerable areas to remain cautious during thunderstorms and heavy rainfall, as localised waterlogging, reduced visibility and disruption to transport may occur in affected districts. The ongoing spell of floods and landslides has so far claimed seven lives and affected 1,55,763 peple across the state. The monsoon has affected 665 villages in 28 districts of the state so far. (Source: PTI)      

ITANAGAR : The Brahma Kumaris, Itanagar, will launch the state-level ’10 Crore Addiction-Free Pledge Mega Campaign’ on August 2 as part of the national vision of ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat, Nasha Mukt Arunachal’. The programme will be held at 10.30 am at the Brahma Kumaris RajYoga Centre near Delhi Public School, Jollang. Home Minister Mama Natung will attend the programme as the chief guest, while Director General of Police Shiv Darshan Singh Jamwal will be the guest of honour. Senior government officials, police personnel, social workers, educators, youth representatives, community leaders and members of civil society are also expected to participate. The campaign is being organised under the ongoing Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan and Mission SPANDAN with the objective of strengthening collective efforts to combat substance abuse and promote a healthier, safer and addiction-free society. According to the organisers, the initiative draws strength from Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed between the Brahma Kumaris and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs as well as the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, aimed at enhancing cooperation in awareness generation, prevention, community mobilisation, rehabilitation and social reintegration. The campaign seeks to encourage citizens to take an addiction-free pledge and become advocates of positive change within their families and communities. It also emphasises the importance of self-awareness, emotional resilience, value-based education, family support, healthy lifestyles and spiritual empowerment in addressing substance abuse. Through RajYoga Meditation, the organisation aims to promote inner stability, positive thinking and self-discipline, with a special focus on inspiring the youth of Arunachal Pradesh to adopt a healthy and addiction-free lifestyle. The Brahma Kumaris has invited people from all walks of life to participate in the state-level launch and join the pledge for an addiction-free India and Arunachal Pradesh.