Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan interact with flood-affected people in a relief camp on September 16, 2026.
By A Correspondent
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Wednesday conducted an aerial and ground inspection of flood-affected areas in the state along with Union Minister for Agriculture, Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The two leaders carried out an aerial survey of flood-hit areas in Maner in Patna district and Dighwara in Saran district before travelling to Vaishali. They later inspected flood-affected villages, including Terasiya and Saraiyapur under the Raghopur block, and assessed the damage caused to crops.
Choudhary and Chouhan also travelled by boat through inundated areas to inspect submerged villages and damaged farmland. They later used a tractor to reach affected parts of Terasiya and Saraiyapur, where they interacted with local residents and received applications detailing their grievances.
Residents narrated their experiences and highlighted several problems caused by the floods. They demanded the raising of existing roads, construction of new roads and compensation for crops damaged by floodwaters. The Chief Minister and the Union Minister listened to their concerns and directed officials to take necessary steps towards resolving the issues.
Chouhan said the region had witnessed one of its most severe floods in recent years, claiming that the water level this year was more than one foot higher than during the 2016 floods. He said banana and maize crops had been badly damaged after remaining submerged.
According to the Union Minister, around 50 lakh people across Bihar had been forced to leave their homes because of the floods, while crops, houses and livestock had also suffered damage. He said the Bihar government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, was engaged in providing relief to affected families.
The state government has begun providing an immediate assistance of Rs 7,000 to each affected family. Chouhan said he had visited Bihar following directions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to assess the scale of the disaster and review the situation along with the state government.
He said teams from the Union government’s agriculture and rural development departments had also arrived to assess the losses. Another central team would visit the state to carry out a detailed assessment of the damage.
Chouhan said the Union government would stand with the Bihar government and provide all possible assistance for relief and rehabilitation work. He said roads, crops, houses and livestock had suffered losses and the Centre would extend support after the assessment of the damage.
During the inspection, Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said both the Centre and the Bihar government were fully committed to helping flood-affected people. He said an interim grant of Rs 7,000 had already been released to affected families.
He added that farmers and other affected residents would receive appropriate compensation in accordance with government rules after a detailed and accurate assessment of the losses.
The Chief Minister said a central team led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan had arrived in Bihar to assess the flood damage following directions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Union Minister was inspecting the condition of crops and roads in flood-hit areas, with visits to Munger and Bhagalpur also planned.
Review meetings will also be held to discuss the extent of the flood damage and the progress of relief operations. Choudhary said additional central teams would visit Bihar in the coming days to conduct a comprehensive assessment, following which possible assistance from the Union government would be made available to the state.
The Chief Minister thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sending the central team to assess the flood situation and expressed his gratitude to Shivraj Singh Chouhan and other members of the team for their visit.
During the programme, Choudhary also honoured a young boy, Vishal Kumar, with a certificate of appreciation. Vishal had reportedly saved the lives of four people from his village during the floods.
All photos: Bihar government
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