Overview

• A High-Level Committee chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah cleared Rs 260.56 crore from the NDRF, marking the first dedicated central reconstruction aid for Wayanad.
• Kerala had sought Rs 2,219 crore after estimating losses of Rs 1,222 crore, and leaders from Congress and the Left called the allocation inadequate and discriminatory.
• Congress MP K.C. Venugopal contrasted the package with larger recent allocations to Maharashtra (Rs 1,492 crore) and Assam (Rs 1,270 crore) and pressed Kerala’s two Union ministers to state their position.
• Revenue Minister K. Rajan cited a five-month wait for L3 classification, while Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal termed the support grossly inadequate and said the state will approach the Centre again after a 15-month wait for any NDRF help.
• The BJP’s Kerala unit welcomed the approval, saying it follows Rs 682.5 crore in earlier support and noting the inclusion of Thiruvananthapuram in a Rs 2,444 crore National Urban Flood Risk Management Plan.