Bhubaneswar, May 22: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced a Rs 500 crore relief package for Odisha, which has been affected by cyclone Amphan.

The Prime Minister announced the immediate assistance to carry out the relief and restoration measures after holding a review meeting and conducting an aerial survey of the cyclone-hit areas of the state.

He chaired the review meeting in presence of Governor Ganeshi Lal, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, and Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Pratap Sarangi at Biju Patnaik International Airport here.

Modi lauded the Chief Minister and his team for minimising loss of human lives during cyclone Amphan.

“Everyone is fighting Covid-19. In such a time, we had a super cyclone in some parts of India. This became very worrying. At the same time, due to the well-established processes in Odisha, many lives were saved. I congratulate the people and Government of Odisha,” said Modi.

“At the same time, there has been damage to property, which we reviewed in a meeting today. All possible assistance will be provided by the Centre to ensure quick relief work. Rs 500 crore will be given to Odisha as advance assistance,” he added.

He said a Central team will be sent to the state to conduct a detailed survey of the damages caused by Amphan, and also said that further assistance will be released based on the final report submitted by the state government.

During the review meeting, the state government presented a primary damage assessment report to the Prime Minister, said sources.

Earlier, the Prime Minister conducted an aerial survey of the coastal districts to take stock of the damage caused by the cyclone.

He was accompanied by the Governor and the Chief Minister, while Union Ministers Pradhan and Sarangi flew in a separate chopper.

The cyclone that crossed the Odisha coast and made landfall on West Bengal coast on Wednesday left a trail of destruction in the coastal areas of the state.

Over 44 lakh people under 89 blocks have been affected by the impact of the cyclone. (IANS)