Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Assam has expanded relief measures for flood-ravaged communities as the state death toll climbed to 78. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that families of the deceased will now receive a total of ₹9 lakh in assistance, composed of ₹4 lakh ex gratia and a further ₹5 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Officials have scrapped the requirement for post-mortem reports, allowing verification via Circle Officer certificates. Authorities have already collected ₹26.58 crore in donations to fund these efforts.
The state is targeting 3,32,639 people across 622 villages in Sivasagar, Charaideo, Golaghat, Jorhat, Nagaon, Sonitpur, and Kamrup Metropolitan districts. Roughly 45,000 hectares of farmland remain submerged. While water recedes, 32,477 people still shelter in 81 relief camps. Operations involve the Army, Air Force, NDRF, SDRF, and various paramilitary forces. Rescue crews have recovered seven bodies in the last 24 hours.
Financial aid is moving directly to the ground. Severely affected households will receive ₹15,000 in cash to clean mud and silt from their homes. For students, schools and universities will provide duplicate documents for free. Government uniforms will be subsidized, and Orunodoi beneficiaries in the hardest-hit districts will see their monthly payments jump to ₹2,500 starting August 1.
State authorities are also easing the financial crush. A six-month moratorium on loan repayments now covers housing, education, vehicle, and crop loans in Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat, and Golaghat. Small retailers can access an additional ₹10,000 loan without collateral. Meanwhile, flood-hit Namghars in Sivasagar and Charaideo will receive ₹1.5 lakh grants. Sarma explained the outreach: “I convened a special meeting of the State Level Bankers’ Committee to discuss loan repayment of flood-hit consumers.”
Infrastructure remains a massive hurdle. Nearly 13,000 households still lack electricity, though that number dropped 30 percent recently. Power restoration continues in Gaurisagar, Sivasagar, Nazira, Amguri, and Demow. A six-member Inter-Ministerial Central Team led by M. Ramachandrudu concluded a four-day field assessment of the region on July 29.
Assam has urged the Centre to classify the Upper Assam floods as an “atypical, high-intensity, rapid-onset event.” The state government requested a dedicated support package and a new regional disaster risk reduction mechanism. With more heavy rain forecast for Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland, officials are on edge. The current disaster was sparked by extreme rainfall in Nagaland on July 19.
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