Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed grief over the loss of lives in a boat capsizing incident in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district and announced financial assistance from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the families of those killed and the injured.
In a post on social media platform X, the Prime Minister described the tragedy as deeply painful and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families.
“The loss of lives due to the capsizing of a boat in the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal is deeply painful. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. May the injured recover at the earliest,” Modi said.
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Announcing relief from the PMNRF, the Prime Minister said that the next of kin of each deceased would receive an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh, while those injured in the incident would be provided Rs 50,000.
“An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000,” he said.
The boat capsizing occurred in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, a region crisscrossed by rivers and waterways where boats remain a vital mode of transport for thousands of people. Such accidents have periodically highlighted concerns over passenger safety, overcrowding and adherence to safety norms in inland water transport.
Authorities are carrying out rescue and relief operations, while the exact circumstances leading to the accident are under investigation. The Prime Minister’s announcement of ex-gratia assistance is aimed at providing immediate financial relief to the affected families as the state administration continues rescue efforts and assesses the full impact of the tragedy.
