Uttarakhand cloudburst: CM Harish Rawat announces Rs 2 lakh compensation for kin of victims

Expressing grief over the lives lost in the torrential rains in Uttarakhand on 1 July, Chief Minister Harish Rawat today announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to families of the victims.

Rawat said he was personally monitoring the situation and added that disaster management teams and security personnel have already been asked to reach the sites to carry out rescue works and ensure the safety of locals.

"We are sad to know about the deaths. I am personally monitoring the situation from here. Chief Secretary too is keeping a tab ... we will give them (kin of victims) immediate compensation of Rs two lakh as per norms," he said.

Rawat made the statement on the sidelines of his meeting with Union Social Justice Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot here.

Twelve persons were killed in Uttarakhand's Chamoliand Pithoragarh districts and 25 others went missing as torrential rains and cloudbursts hit different parts of the state in the wee hours today.

-PTI