Cyclone Yaas: Mamata says Bengal 'might not get anything' after 15-minute meet with Narendra Modi

Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday submitted a report to Prime Minister Naredra Modi on the damages caused by cyclone ‘Yaas’ in the state, and sought a Rs 20,000-crore package for redevelopment of the worst-affected areas. Modi flew down to Odisha earlier in the day to review the post-cyclone situation, and then made his way to Bengal, where the storm wreaked havoc in the coastal districts. The state has incurred a loss of Rs 20,000 crore due to the cyclone, Banerjee claimed. “We have sought a package of Rs 10,000 crore each for the redevelopment of Digha and the Sunderbans… It could well be that we might not get anything,” she said following an administrative meeting held in the tourist town of Digha. The meeting between the two leaders lasted for around 15 minutes, an official said. Meanwhile, a release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said Modi has announced a financial assistance of Rs 1,000 crore for immediate relief activities. “Rs 500 crore would be immediately given to Odisha. Another Rs 500 crore has been announced for West Bengal and Jharkhand, which will be released on the basis of the damage. “The Union Government will deploy an inter-ministerial team to visit the states to assess the extent of damage, based on which further assistance will be given,” it said. The prime minister has also declared an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for those seriously injured in the cyclone, the release said. Cyclone ‘Yaas’ rampaged through parts of India’s eastern coast on Wednesday, killing at least four people and forcing more than 21 lakh people to be evacuated to safe shelters in West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand. Heavy rainfall was reported at several places under the impact of the cyclone in all the three states on Thursday.