Cyclone Arnab Damage: 8-Member Central Team Visits Odisha, 2-4 Nov

The Union Home Ministry is sending an eight-member central team to Odisha from 2 to 4 November to assess the damage from Cyclone Arnab and the floods that followed. Joint Secretary Ravi Shankar leads the team, which draws officers from several central ministries and will inspect affected areas after talks with the state government, according to a report carried by WebIndia. The Ministry said the team’s report “will guide the assessment of central assistance.”

Relief Odisha Has Already Announced

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi named Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal as the worst-hit districts and said the cyclone and heavy rain had “affected lakhs of people across several districts.” On Sunday he announced a state package: 50 kg of rice and ₹2,500 in cash for each affected family, and housing aid of ₹1.20 lakh in the plains and ₹1.30 lakh in hilly areas for fully or severely damaged homes.

Farmers who lost at least 33 per cent of their crop get input subsidy of ₹8,500 per hectare for unirrigated land, ₹17,000 for irrigated land and ₹22,500 for perennial crops. They will also receive pulse, oilseed and vegetable kits, up to 75 per cent subsidy on pesticide for the rabi crop, and short-term kharif loans will be converted into medium-term loans.

Also read Odisha Floods: 3 Dead as Arnab Rain Strands Thousands in Ganjam

Where the Count Stands

The report gives no official count of houses or hectares lost; it mentions about 2,000 hectares of sugarcane land affected. IPB’s latest figures are in its report on the Gidipabali landslide, where the toll stood at six with ten missing. Home Minister Amit Shah had spoken to the chief ministers of the affected states on 29 October and said central teams would be sent, as Open reported. Earlier IPB coverage is on the Cyclone Arnab live page.

Central Aid Follows the Team’s Report

The team’s visit ends on 4 November. The Centre has not yet said how much assistance it will release; that decision follows the team’s report to the Home Ministry.

Source: Based on reporting by WebIndia and Open.

Image: Information and Public Relations Department, Government of Odisha.