PTI
NEW DELHI, APRIL 27
Expanding its rescue efforts, government on Monday said in Lok Sabha that over 2500 Indians have been evacuated from quake-hit Nepal so far and free visas are being given to foreigners stranded there and want to come to India.
Members of the lower house also decided to donate a month's salary for the relief work in Nepal with a proposal by parliamentary affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidu being quickly accepted by the opposition.Responding to an impromptu debate on the devastating earthquake in Lok Sabha, home minister Rajnath Singh said the earthquake toll in India has reached 72 with 56 deaths reported in Bihar, 12 in UP, three in West Bengal and one in Rajasthan.
Giving details of India's mammoth rescue and relief exercise in the neighbouring country, Singh said 10 NDRF teams are already in Kathmandu and six more on their way. An engineering task force and 18 medical units have also been rushed.
"One Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is also on the way," he said, adding that an inter-ministerial team headed by a top Home Ministry official was being sent along with 250 high frequency wireless sets to coordinate rescue and relief work.
Calling it a "very big tragedy", Singh said India stands by Nepal and those affected in India in this hour of crisis. He also thanked the governments of Bihar, UP and Uttarakhand for setting up relief camps at the border with Nepal and plying buses to evacuate people.
Communication experts have also been rushed to Nepal to restore the broken communication system in the country. "We are also helping foreigners. We have decided to give free visas to those willing to come to India. Immigration facilities have been set up in this regard," he said.
India has already sent 22 tonnes of food, two tonnes of medical supplies, 50 tonnes of water besides large numbers of blankets and other relief material.
With many members praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his prompt response following the quake, Singh also lauded him and conceded that he learnt about the tragedy from the Prime Minister himself. "As home minister, I should have been aware but it is he who informed me.
Government warns against rumours
IANS
NEW DELHI, APRIL 27
People should not believe rumours about earthquake that are being spread through social media and messages, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Monday as the Rajya Sabha condoled the deaths in Nepal.
"There are messages coming on social media that at 9 p.m. earthquake would come, or at 8 p.m. earthquake would come," Prasad said in the Rajya Sabha.
"Such rumours should be ignored. There is no basis to it, and if there is some authentic information, government will act on it," he said.
Rumours have been afloat on social media and through messages giving time for a "predicted" earthquake.
The Rajya Sabha condoled the deaths in earthquake in Nepal and expressed commitment on Indian side to help people of Nepal.
Members also appreciated the government's efforts for the relief and rescue work.
5.1 magnitude aftershocks were felt on Monday in the northern and eastern belt of India bordering Nepal, rattling parts of Bihar and West Bengal.
According to USGS, the 5.1 magnitude tremors hit Mirik in India at around 18:05 hours.
The regions that were hit by tremors are Madhupura, Madhubani, Patna, Katiyar, Saharsa, Siliguri, Jalpaiguri and some parts of Assam.
The aftershocks have continued to hit the region even two days after a massive earthquake devastated Nepal. Saturday`s earthquake, which measured 7.9 on the Richter scale, resulted in the deaths of over 3,200 people in Nepal, while many are still trapped under the debris.
In India, the death toll has reached 59.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has told reporters that ministers and senior officials have been deployed in the districts to oversee relief work after the quake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale hit the state on Saturday and also the tropical storm which hit on Tuesday night.
