Patna: Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, will undertake an intensive visit to Bihar on Wednesday to assess the flood situation, inspect crop damage and review relief and rescue operations in the flood-affected areas of the state.
During the visit, Chouhan will conduct an aerial survey of several flood-hit areas, interact with affected farmers and residents, and hold a high-level review meeting with Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and senior officials to assess the situation and discuss relief measures and assistance required by the state.
A team of senior officials from the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development will accompany the Union Minister.
According to the scheduled programme, Chouhan will arrive in Patna from Bhopal and depart from the Patna State Hangar at around 10:30 a.m. for an aerial survey by helicopter of flood-affected areas in Dighwara and Maner.
He will subsequently travel by road to Terasia and Sarai-pur villages, where he will visit agricultural fields to assess crop damage caused by the floods and interact with local farmers to hear their concerns.
After completing the field assessment, Chouhan will travel via the Gandhi Setu to ‘Samvad’, the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in Patna, where he is scheduled to arrive at around 12:15 p.m. He will participate in a high-level review meeting with the Chief Minister and senior officials on flood disaster management, ongoing relief and rescue operations, and assistance to be provided to affected farmers.
Earlier, CM Samrat Choudhary has also said that a central team led by Chouhan would visit Bihar to assess the flood situation and the damage caused by the floods.
The proposed assessment comes as the flood situation remains serious in several parts of Bihar. According to official figures, around 49.67 lakh people across 15 districts have been affected by the floods. While water levels have begun receding in most rivers, including the Ganga, several rivers continue to flow above their respective danger marks at various locations.
The Centre’s assessment is expected to provide a detailed account of the damage and help determine the extent of assistance required by Bihar for relief, rehabilitation and restoration of damaged infrastructure and agricultural areas.
Chouhan is scheduled to leave Patna at around 1:30 p.m. and arrive at Nawabgarhi in Munger. He will visit the relief camp there, meet flood victims and assess the quality and effectiveness of the ongoing relief operations.
(IANS)
