Even as the Centre reluctantly offered just Rs 1,000 crore interim assistance to Cyclone and flood-hit Odisha against the demand of Rs 5,832.50 crore, the international funding agencies, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have assured a financial assistance of US$ 313 million to the state to undertake the restoration and rehabilitation activities.
Representatives of the World Bank and ADB met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar last evening and discussed various points before announcing about the assistance. The World Bank team has accepted Odisha’s proposal of constructing an additional 162 cyclone shelter houses at US$ 55 million. It also agreed to finance US$ 153 million for construction of pucca houses within five kilometer from the coast in Ganjam and Puri districts and on the bank of Chilika lake, in addition to the slum development projects at Berhampur town.
The ADB would provide US$ 105 million for installing cyclone-proof power infrastructure and strengthening of embankments in cyclone-prone areas in Odisha.
