Sonia asks PM for ‘liberal’ package for flood-hit states

NEW DELHI - Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who Tuesday went on an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, has asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ensure a liberal package to the two states.

Gandhi, who went on an aerial survey alongwith Defence Minister A.K. Antony, telephoned the prime minister immediately after her return, said Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh in a release here.

“Immediately after reaching Delhi, the Congress president has spoken to the prime minister on phone and has requested the Government of India to have the damage caused by floods and cloud bursts in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh assessed immediately and ensure a liberal package to the affected states released through the National Calamity Relief Fund,” said the release.

Earlier, both Gandhi and Antony were briefed at the Dehradun airport by defence officials about the rescue operations conducted by the Army in Almora district, hit by a landslide, and other areas of Uttarakhand.