Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has sanctioned more than ₹107.70 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund for the prompt disbursement of gratuitous relief assistance to families affected by Cyclone Arnab in Ganjam and Koraput districts.
Of the total amount, ₹1,07,44,55,000 has been allocated to Ganjam district and ₹26,27,500 for Koraput.
Under the relief package announced by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, 4,29,782 cyclone-affected families in Ganjam and 1,051 families in Koraput will each receive ₹2,500 in cash assistance. The funds have been placed at the disposal of the respective district collectors for immediate distribution in line with prescribed norms and guidelines, an official release said.
Cyclone Arnab, which made landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast on October 28, triggered extremely heavy rainfall and severe flooding across southern Odisha. Ganjam emerged as one of the worst-hit districts, with hundreds of villages inundated as rivers such as the Rushikulya breached embankments.
According to government data, about 299 villages in 22 blocks of Ganjam and 711 villages in seven blocks of Gajapati district were affected by the deluge. Thousands of people were evacuated to relief shelters, while several villages remained marooned for days. Rescuers worked to reach an estimated 2,000 people stranded in Ganjam, where an Indian Coast Guard helicopter was also called in to support evacuation efforts.
Koraput also recorded intense rainfall, contributing to the overall impact on agriculture and rural settlements in the region.
Authorities earlier reported that more than one lakh people were affected across the worst-hit areas, with tens of thousands of hectares of farmland damaged and houses partially or fully destroyed. Road and rail connectivity suffered extensive disruption, and power and communication services were severely hit in many blocks.
The state government had already announced a broader relief package that includes 50 kg of rice along with the ₹2,500 cash assistance per affected family, input subsidies for crop loss, housing reconstruction support and aid for other livelihoods.
