Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has assured flood-affected families in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam that the Central Government will leave no stone unturned to ensure timely relief and rehabilitation, saying assistance will reach every affected household.
Chouhan, who arrived in Arunachal Pradesh on Monday, was scheduled to undertake an aerial survey of flood-ravaged areas. However, the exercise had to be postponed due to inclement weather. Instead, the Union Minister spent time interacting with affected residents and reviewing the flood situation with senior state officials in Itanagar before embarking on an extensive ground and aerial assessment of the affected regions on Tuesday.
He will be accompanied during the visit by Union Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu.
Addressing flood victims after interacting with local residents in Itanagar, Chouhan reaffirmed the Centre’s commitment to helping every affected family.
“The weather may have grounded the helicopter today, but it cannot stop our determination. We will spend the entire day in the flood-affected regions of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, assessing the situation from the ground as well as from the air so that every affected farmer and every affected family receives the assistance they need,” he said.
He added that the government would not rest until relief reached every person impacted by the floods.
During his interaction with residents and public representatives from flood-hit districts, people narrated how torrential rains and overflowing rivers had submerged agricultural fields, destroyed standing crops, damaged homes and disrupted livelihoods. Farmers highlighted heavy losses to paddy, banana and orange plantations, while several families spoke about the hardships they continue to face following the disaster.
Listening to their grievances, Chouhan assured them that no affected family would be left behind in the relief and rehabilitation process and that all possible assistance would be extended by the Centre.
The Union Minister later chaired a high-level review meeting at the Arunachal Pradesh Secretariat with senior state officials to assess the prevailing flood situation, relief operations and rehabilitation measures. The discussions focused on the extent of damage caused by floods and landslides, the availability and distribution of relief materials, challenges in reaching remote communities and the roadmap for restoring normalcy.
Chouhan said the concerns of farmers and rural communities in the Northeast had reached the highest levels of the Central Government. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, the Centre stands ready to provide every possible support for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.
Beginning Tuesday morning, the minister is scheduled to visit flood-affected villages and relief camps across Arunachal Pradesh to interact directly with affected families and assess damage to crops, livestock and rural infrastructure. He will also conduct an aerial survey covering flood-hit regions of both Arunachal Pradesh and Assam to obtain a comprehensive assessment of damage to rivers, embankments, roads, bridges and agricultural land.
Later in the day, Chouhan will travel to Guwahati, where he will chair a review meeting with senior Assam government officials to evaluate flood management measures, relief distribution, restoration of damaged infrastructure, embankment repairs and financial assistance for affected farmers.
Emphasising that flood management must go beyond immediate relief, Chouhan called for long-term strategies to minimise the impact of recurring floods in the Northeast. He stressed the need to strengthen drainage systems, reinforce embankments, build safer shelters, improve flood-management infrastructure and develop a more effective crop insurance mechanism to enhance the resilience of rural communities.
Speaking to the media, the Union Minister described Arunachal Pradesh as a “beloved state” facing an exceptionally severe natural disaster.
“Heavy rainfall and landslides have caused extensive damage to roads, bridges and houses, while farmers have suffered heavy losses with crops such as oranges, bananas and paddy being completely destroyed,” he said.
Chouhan said he, Kiren Rijiju and Chief Minister Pema Khandu were visiting the affected areas on the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to undertake a detailed assessment and ensure that every possible assistance is extended by the Central Government.
He reiterated that both the Centre and the state governments would work in close coordination to restore normalcy at the earliest and ensure comprehensive support reaches every flood-affected family.
