flood in Assam : PM to visit flood-affected areas of Assam tomorrow,77 dead in Assam floods,havvy rain

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, accompanied by high level officials, will visit the flood affected areas of Assam on Monday to take stock of the situation and the relief efforts being made there.

PMO sources said Singh will leave for norteastern Indian state Assam on Monday and return by evening. He will be accompanied by officials who will assess damage and relief work.

Singh has already announced an ex-gratia of Rs.one lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund to the kin of each of those killed in the floods and directed the Defence Ministry to provide Army assistance in rescue and relief.

Singh had called up the state's Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on June 28 to enquire about the condition in the state.

The Prime Minister has assured the Assam government of all help to deal with the flood situation there.

He had also spoken to Defence Minister A K Antony "urging full Army assistance for the rescue and relief operations in the affected areas".

Though the water level is said to be receding in some areas, 23 of the 27 districts of the state have come in the grip of floods and more than 30 people have died, while several are reported missing.

24 sorties have been carried out by the Indian Air Force helicopters and 4,000 kg of food packets dropped in the flood affected regions.

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