Andhra Says Rs 600 Crore Flood Compensation Paid In Record Time: 10 Points

After the devastating floods struck Vijayawada and nearby areas in September, over four lakh households were affected. These areas could not be accessed till September 10 and it was not possible to start any enumeration activities for compensation.

However, immediately after the water receded, the Andhra Pradesh government under the leadership of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu set about the challenging task of enumeration and managing the compensation disbursement, the government said.

A tech-based solution was designed with a front-end app and a back-end database operating on a hand-held device that could manage the enumeration process. This handheld device was given to the enumeration teams, who then went into the field and started the process.

Some 1,600 teams went to the affected areas and the entire enumeration was completed in three days. As part of the enumeration, no bank account data was collected.

The government said Aadhaar data was collected, and this was used to reach the validated bank account details of each beneficiary.

On September 22, which was a Sunday, the list of proposed beneficiaries was put up so that they could seek changes or register complaints.

On September 24, at least Rs 602 crore was transferred to an online gateway. The bank account data of four lakh households was also integrated through the UPI portal so that the payments could be made instantly. In comparison, the compensation amount is in far excess of the NDRF norms prescribed, the government said.

Today, the disbursements are being successfully transferred, within a timeline of just 15 days from the date of the floods. This is the fastest timeline for compensation disbursement in recent times, and Andhra Pradesh has been successfully able to achieve this, the state government said.

In comparison, when the previous government led by Jagan Mohan Reddy managed the compensation process for Michuang cyclone, which struck on December 1, 2023, the compensation of Rs 442 crores was disbursed on May 17, 2024, or over five months since the natural disaster struck.

"Under the leadership of Chandrababu Naidu, we were motivated to provide immediate and sufficient compensation. Our Chief Minister led by example during the relief efforts. We are happy about this unprecedented speed in disbursing the compensation amounts. We hope our efforts can serve as a successful template for future disaster management initiatives," said RP Sisodia, Special Chief Secretary (Revenue).