UP govt sanctions additional 9.95 crore for blanket distribution

In order to provide relief to people battling severe winter, Uttar Presh government on Saturday sanctioned an ded Rs 9.65 crore for blanket distribution in 44 districts. State relief commissioner G S Priyarshi said that blankets worth Rs 2.89 lakh have alrey been distributed so far.

government has also provided bonfire facilities at about 12,000 places and has opened 700 shelter homes for homeless to take shelter during freezing nights. Priyarshi said state government has allocated Rs 19.25 crore for distribution of blankets, of which Rs 8 crore was later provided for this purpose.

Several parts of Uttar Presh and rest of rth India has been reeling under intense cold from past few days due to severe cold wave conditions. harsh wear is forcing poor and homeless people to flock to night shelters. According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh may be affected by cold wave for next couple of days.

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Punjab, Haryana, Hisar freezing at 0.2 degrees Celcius

Severe cold cold conditions coupled with fog have thrown rmal life out of gear in most parts of Punjab and Haryana on Saturday with many places recording minimum temperatures five to seven tches below rmal. Hisar was coldest place in two states with minimum settling at 0.2 degrees Celsius, seven tches below rmal limits, meteorological department said here.

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minimum temperatures at Hisar (0.2), Narnaul (0.5), Rohtak (1.8), Karnal (1.5), Sirsa (2), Bathinda (2.3) and Bhiwani (3.9) were even lower than Shimla which registered a low of 4 degrees Celsius. Most places in Haryana and Punjab witnessed fog with visibility reducing to 600 metres, disrupting air, rail and ro traffic in region.

In a fog-related accident, two people died and around 12 were injured in a pile-up of 15 vehicles at Delhi-Jaipur highway in Rewari district of Haryana, police said. Due to cold conditions, one unidentified person died in Chandigarh on Friday night, y said.

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(With inputs from ANI)