PM Modi In Kerala Since Last Night To Assess Flood Situation, Announces Immediate Aid Of Rs 500 Crore 

After attending the last rites of former President Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Friday (17 August), Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for Kerala to assess the situation following devastating floods in the state.

After landing in Kerala he was received by state leaders like Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Union Minister Alphons KJ and Governor P Sathasivam. He left Trivandrum on Saturday (18 August) for Kochi to aerially survey areas ravaged by the floods.

In Kochi, the Prime Minister chaired a high-level meeting to review the flood situation, which as per reports included the participation of army and naval teams involved in the rescue operations. Reports have claimed that the Prime Minister has announced an immediate aid of Rs 500 crore.

The first attempt at the aerial survey though was put-off due to bad weather which led to many local news sources claiming that it stood cancelled. These reports though were deemed unconfirmed by ANI, and it is being speculated that the Prime Minister would attempt another such survey before returning to New Delhi.

Incidentally, his return back to the capital too might be delayed due to water-logging on the naval airport in Kochi.