Chennai, Dec 23 (KNN) Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman claimed on Friday that Rs 900 crore had already been released to Tamil Nadu.

State finance minister Thangam Thennarasu retorted that it was a fraction of aid sought after the recent floods in Chennai and south Tamil Nadu. 

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, the FM said the centre had released Rs 900 crore in two installments towards the State Disaster Relief Fund, the second of which reached TN on December 12, well ahead of the rains in south TN. 

The union minister then dismissed charges that the Regional Meteorological Centre had not warned TN of the impending rainfall and took a swipe at Chief Minister M K Stalin for meeting with the INDIA bloc in Delhi when south TN was reeling under floods. 

She criticised the state distributing relief in cash rather than crediting it in bank accounts.

Thennarasu, in a statement, disputed her charges, stating that the centre had released Rs 450 crore when the state had sought Rs 21,692 crore, he said from 2015, the centre has only released 4.61 per cent of funds demanded by the state for interim and permanent relief.

On criticism of Stalin’s meeting with the INDIA bloc, he said the CM had planned the trip with a meeting with the prime minister in mind. 

Over 42K rescued in south TN districts, says Nirmala.

Meanwhile, commenting on the memorandum Stalin submitted to PM Narendra Modi demanding funds of Rs 2,000 crore and for the calamity be declared a national disaster, Sitharaman said there is no provision to declare a national disaster. 

“State governments, if required by appropriate guidelines, can declare such incidents as calamities at the state level,” she said. Even 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was not declared a national disaster, she later added in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

(KNN Bureau)