Ex-gratia relief for storm victims

NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday sanctioned ex-gratia relief from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for victims of the storm that lashed parts of eastern India Wednesday.

An official statement said Rs.1 lakh has been sanctioned to the next of kin of each of those killed in the storm which lashed parts of Bihar, West Bengal and Assam.

The toll from the storm has risen to 128.