Patna, April 7 Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Tuesday that disaster-affected people have the first right over the state treasury.
Chairing a meeting of the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA) in the state capital, the CM urged all concerned agencies to work efficiently in disaster management and ensure timely assistance to victims.
"The state government is committed to providing assistance to all disaster-affected victims. We believe that disaster-affected victims have the first right to the state treasury," said the CM.
According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) here, "The CM said that the state government has been taking several initiatives for disaster management since November, 2005…Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been developed for effective management of disasters such as floods, droughts, fires, earthquakes, and heatwaves. Arrangements have been made to provide free food, cash assistance, crop damage compensation, house damage compensation, and livestock loss compensation to people affected by natural disasters.
The CM also released a book, 'Bihar’s Journey in Disaster Management'.
Those who were present in the meeting included: Deputy Chief Minister, Vijay Kumar Sinha, Vice Chairman of the BSDMA, Udaykant, Water Resources Minister, Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Disaster Management Minister, Narayan Prasad and several officials of the state government.