Bhubaneswar, Nov 6: The Odisha government will release around Rs 423 crore in online mode by Wednesday evening to districts affected by Cyclone Dana and subsequent floods, announced Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari. “The collectors have been instructed to distribute the compensation within seven days,” he said during a press briefing.
This comes a day after the Minister disclosed the total damage caused by the cyclone, estimating it at Rs 616.19 crore. The cyclone, which hit the eastern coast in the early hours of October 25, brought torrential rain and high-speed winds, uprooting trees, electric poles, and causing severe damage to infrastructure and crops.
Over 41.04 lakh people across 131 blocks in 14 districts—Angul, Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh, Khurda, and Puri—were affected by the cyclone and the subsequent floods. The departments affected by the disaster, including Energy, Panchayati Raj, and Rural Development, will also receive their respective financial assistance.
The cyclone caused damage to public infrastructure worth Rs 512.26 crore, with crop losses estimated at Rs 82.92 crore. Approximately 3.63 lakh hectares of cultivated land were impacted, with crop damage affecting over 1.72 lakh hectares. Farmers who suffer more than a 33% crop loss will be eligible for compensation, Pujari confirmed.