Overview

• In a July 30 Lok Sabha intervention, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urged the central government to convert outstanding relief loans into grants and waive existing debts for Wayanad survivors.
• She recalled that the July 2024 floods and landslides killed hundreds, wiped out 17 families and destroyed around 1,600 buildings along with coffee, tea and cardamom plantations.
• The Centre initially declined to declare the catastrophe a national disaster and later termed it a high-intensity event, a classification that has not translated into adequate on-ground support.
• Survivors have gone nearly a year without full rehabilitation as relief disbursements were both insufficient and structured as repayable loans.
• Gandhi also flagged serious flaws in the Kerala government’s rehabilitation efforts and demanded both state and central authorities ensure timely, effective assistance.