The Congress leader also handed over relief material to affected people.
India cricketers Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin dedicated the team's 3-0 Test win against South Africa to the Chennai flood victims and also lauded the Indian Army for their rescue and relief work.
In flood-ravaged Pakistan, the government's awfully slow rescue operations are proving out to be largely ineffective, as the destitute victims' plight is turning irreparable, notes Tahir Ali.
The flood situation in Assam, Orissa and West Bengal eased on Saturday as rains held off and major rivers receded allowing relief measures to gain momentum for an estimated 47 lakh people badly hit by the nature's fury.
Jammu and Kashmir continues to remain on a flood alert as most of the rivers in the state are flowing above the danger mark.
The flood situation remained grim in Assam on Tuesday, with the deluge inundating 167 villages in the largest river island Majuli besides washing away a baby rhino in Kaziranga National park.
A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means very heavy rains of 6 cm to 20 cm of rain.
Gautam Goswami, a 1991 batch IAS officer and winner of the prestigious Time Magazine's "Young Asian Achiever Award" died of pancreatic cancer at a private nursing home in Patna today, hospital sources said.
A vigilance court in Patna on Friday refused to take cognizance of the chargesheet filed against suspended IAS officer and former Patna District Magistrate Gautam Goswami in connection with the multi-crore flood relief scam on technical grounds.
Asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was concerned about Jammu and Kashmir, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday assured "maximum possible assistance" to the victims of the last year's devastating floods.
As many as 2,187 villages in eastern Uttar Pradesh are affected by the flood waters of the Ghagra, Rapti, Saryu and Rohin rivers.
Five bodies were recovered while 52 others were missing in flash floods caused by cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh's Ganavi village that swept away 16 houses, a senior district official said on Wednesday.
A group of flood victims were protesting against the lack of relief materials and irregularities before the local administration.
Superintendent of police M A Siddiqui said minister of state for forest and environment, Ramji Rishdev's car fell into a ditch near Achra village when he was proceeding to Forbesganj to attend a programme by deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi.
The Bihar government on Thursday decided to suspend Indian Administrative Service officer and former Patna District Magistrate Gautam Goswami who surrendered before a special court in Patna in connection with the multi-crore flood relief scam.
The met office also predicted surface wind with a speed between 45 and 65 kmph along and off coastal region and advised fishermen not to venture into the sea.
The application is likely to be hear by Designated Vigilance Judge J M Prasad on Saturday.
Turning on the heat on former Patna district magistrate Gautam Goswami and two other alleged kingpins of the multi-crore flood relief scam, the Bihar Vigilance Bureau on Monday alerted airports across the country to prevent their possible escape.
More than 50 people have been killed and over two lakh others affected by the floods caused by torrential rain across Pakistan, officials said on Monday.
The Indian Air Force has evacuated over 400 flood-affected people across Assam in the past 20 days as relief helicopters and transport planes are on round-the-clock standby. Air Commodore P E Patange of the Eastern Air Command said besides airlifting 400 marooned persons from various parts of the state, the IAF also airlifted dozens of tonnes of relief material for distribution.
The storm has wrecked havoc, killing at least 60 people and costing up to $180 billion (Rs 11,542 crore).
Working round-the-clock to help flood victims in Bihar, National Disaster Response Force personnel rendered timely help to three marooned pregnant women at separate places deliver their babies safely.
"So far, we have fished out 28 bodies and 45 people have been rescued while the search for more is still on," District Magistrate S P Dixit told PTI over telephone.
With Tamil Nadu hit by floods, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and assured her all possible support and cooperation from the Centre.
At least 15 people have died in heavy floods and landslides triggered by continuous rain for the last three days in Assam, where airforce helicopters, army, National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force have been pressed into service for rescue work, officials said.
Flood situation in south Bengal turned grim on Saturday with 1.19 lakh people taking shelter in relief camps in 12 districts of the state even as weatherman forecast more heavy rains in the next two days.
Faced with floods that affected over 20 million people, the Bihar government has sanctioned a whopping sum of Rs 1,000 crore to compensate the losses suffered by flood victims in the state.
'It was specifically mentioned in the Gadgil Committee report that this particular area where the colossal landside happened now should be in the Environmentally Sensitive Area under Zone 1.' 'Zone 1 is the most important and ecologically sensitive area, and that it has to be protected entirely.' 'At least 90% of the Wayanad disaster is man-made.'
The US on Friday announced 100,000 dollars for humanitarian relief for the victims of the flood in the wake of the heavy monsoon rains in Gujarat, Maharashtra and other affected states.\n\n
The floods have also damaged crops in 2 lakh hectares of land.
The relief materials will be for the marooned people in Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Supaul, Saharsa, Purnea, East and West Champaran districts.
Several deaths were reported across the country due to rain-related incidents like lightning strikes and drowning.
Locals, who were forced to evacuate their homes because fears of a flood, carried out a protest complaining of the lack of food, drinking water and plastic sheets at relief camps. MI Khan reports.
Locals, who were forced to evacuate their homes because fears of a flood, carried out a protest complaining of the lack of food, drinking water and plastic sheets at relief camps. MI Khan reports.
Conflicting claims were made on Wednesday about the visit of United States Agency for International Development's Indian-origin chief Rajiv Shah to a relief camp, run by a front organisation of Jamaat-ud-Dawah, in Pakistan's flood-hit Sindh province and his handing over of aid to it.
The government on Monday announced that those who have lost their passports or got them damaged due to the floods in Chennai can have them replaced free of charge.
Six Indian Air Force aircraft carrying relief material, rescue workers and doctors landed in Leh on Saturday to provide succour to the people of the region affected by cloudburst and flash floods.
India on Saturday announced a relief assistance of NRs 48 million for the victims of recent floods and landslide in different parts of Nepal, which has claimed nearly 220 lives in two weeks.
