Yogi Adityanath Visits Flood‑Stricken Varanasi, Hands Out Relief

On a rainy Saturday that felt more like a monsoon‑driven emergency, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath touched down in Varanasi, a city still reeling from the sudden rise of the Varuna River. He took a quick aerial look‑over – the sort of bird‑eye view that officials love to talk about – and then headed straight to a makeshift relief camp set up at Vidya Vihar Inter College in Salarpur.

Inside the college hall, rows of plastic chairs were filled with families clutching wet clothes, children clutching toys, and volunteers handing out blankets. The CM walked among them, pausing now and then to ask a mother how many members of her household had been swept away, or to smile at a little boy who offered him a wilted mango. "Har Har Mahadev," he chanted along with the crowd, a familiar rallying cry that seemed to lift spirits, however briefly.

When it came time to hand out the aid, the distribution looked almost like a grocery list gone wild: packets of rice and wheat, fresh milk, fruit, biscuits, cooking oil, salt, buckets, mugs, towels – a total of twenty‑six items per family. "All this money comes straight from the Prime Minister’s relief fund," the CM reminded the listeners, adding a hint of criticism toward earlier administrations that, in his view, had let funds sit idle.

Beyond the food and basics, Adityanath announced a cash package of ₹4 lakhs for each family whose house collapsed or whose livelihood was devastated by the floods. He said the money would be transferred within the next 24 hours, a promise meant to convey urgency – "on a war footing," he put it. For the farmers whose paddy fields turned into muddy pools, the compensation would follow the same fast‑track route.

The chief minister didn’t stop at cash. He reminded everyone that the central and state housing schemes were ready to roll out for those rendered homeless, and that Ayushman cards for medical treatment were being handed out on the spot. In total, 567 families across 16 wards were listed as affected, and the administration had already dispatched 48 boats to ferry supplies and rescue stranded residents.

Looking ahead, Yogi Adityanath promised a clean‑up drive once the waters recede. "We will spray disinfectants, sanitise streets and ensure that water‑borne diseases don’t take advantage of this tragedy," he said, referencing the typical post‑flood health scares that often follow such events.

He also took a moment of reverence, laying a wreath at the statue of freedom fighter Jaggu Ram Maurya – a small but symbolic gesture that underscored the blend of politics, history and humanitarian concern that tends to surface in disaster responses.

Among the officials accompanying the CM were State Water Power Minister Swatantra Dev Singh, Minister of State for AYUSH Dayashankar Mishra, Labour and Employment Minister Anil Rajbhar, and a host of district leaders ranging from the police commissioner to the municipal commissioner. Their presence, the CM noted, signified that every department was on standby to assist.

As the day wound down, the Chief Minister left Varanasi with a mix of solemnity and optimism. He reminded the crowd that, compared with the last monsoon season, only 14 districts were now facing any water‑logging – a reduction he attributed to the administration’s nine‑and‑a‑half years in power. "Kashi is getting a new look," he said, pointing to recent infrastructure upgrades like the widened ring road, upgraded railway station and airport, and the ever‑iconic Kashi Vishwanath Temple, which now stands as a symbol of resilience.

In the end, what mattered most to the people gathered that day was the promise of immediate help and the reassurance that the government was watching, ready to act, and not just speaking from a podium. Whether the promised cash reaches every household on time will be the real test, but for now, the sight of blankets being handed out and families receiving their first semblance of relief was a small beacon of hope in an otherwise soggy landscape.