Bihar CM transfers Rs 456 cr to bank accounts of flood-hit families

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday transferred over Rs 456 crore directly to the bank accounts of more than 6.51 lakh families affected by the recent flood.

Each family hit by the deluge received Rs 7,000 as gratuitous relief, according to a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) here.

The amount was transferred at a function held at the official residence of the CM in Patna.


"A total sum of Rs 456.12 crore was transferred directly to the bank accounts of 6,51,602 flood-affected families in 12 districts," the CMO statement said.

The CM had recently announced an increase in the gratuitous relief money from Rs 6,000 per family to Rs 7,000.

A large number of people have been affected by the floods in Bihar, where several rivers are in spate due to torrential rain in the past 24 hours, officials said on Wednesday.

The affected districts include Bhojpur, Patna, Saran, Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Munger, Khagaria, Bhagalpur and Katihar, the statement said.

The CM also directed officials to remain alert as rain is expected in September.

Those who were present in the meeting included Disaster Management Minister Vijay Kumar Mandal, Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena, Development Commissioner Pratyaya Amrit, Water Resources Department's Principal Secretary Santosh Kumar Mall and other senior officials of the state government.