The death toll from the devastating twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 has risen above 4,000, according to the country’s government, while thousands of people remain missing.

Parliament chief Jorge Rodriguez said in a Telegram post that at least 4,118 people have died and 16,740 others have been injured in the back-to-back earthquakes. The powerful tremors caused widespread destruction across the coastal state of La Guaira, reducing residential buildings and entire neighbourhoods to rubble.

Twin earthquakes caused widespread devastation

The disaster began with a 7.2-magnitude earthquake, followed just 39 seconds later by an even stronger 7.5-magnitude quake. Authorities described the second earthquake as the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century.

The twin shocks caused severe structural damage, with several high-rise apartment buildings collapsing completely. Thousands of people are still listed as missing as families continue searching through the debris for their loved ones.

Although official rescue teams have concluded search operations for survivors, many relatives remain at the disaster sites in the hope of recovering the bodies of missing family members for proper burial.

Recovery efforts face major challenges

The humanitarian response continues to face significant obstacles as Venezuela works to recover from one of the country’s deadliest natural disasters. The scale of rebuilding is expected to be enormous, particularly as the nation continues to grapple with long-standing economic difficulties that have affected public services.

Adding to public concern, a 3.0-magnitude tremor struck central Caracas on Friday, briefly triggering panic and prompting evacuations from several buildings.

The United Nations has appealed for nearly $300 million in emergency funding to support earthquake relief operations.

Meanwhile, Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez has urged the release of frozen national assets held overseas to assist with reconstruction efforts. She also said she had requested King Charles III to release around 30 tonnes of Venezuelan gold frozen under UK sanctions to help finance the country’s recovery.

The Assam government has announced an extensive investment plan worth Rs 77,353 crore to expand the state’s power infrastructure under the 2026-27 Budget. The proposals cover electricity generation, renewable energy, storage facilities and transmission networks as the government looks to improve energy availability and support future demand.

Presenting the Budget on Friday, Finance Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah said the state aims to significantly increase its power generation capacity through a combination of thermal, hydroelectric and solar projects while strengthening the electricity transmission system.

Among the largest proposals is an investment of Rs 40,000 crore for a 3,200 MW ultra-supercritical thermal power plant, expected to become one of Assam’s biggest power generation facilities. Another Rs 27,100 crore has been earmarked for pumped storage projects with a combined capacity of 4,900 MW.

Renewable energy projects receive boost

The Budget also places emphasis on renewable energy development. It includes plans for 137 MW of small hydropower generation, 75 MW of solar power capacity and a 25 MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Kamrup district.

In addition, the 120 MW Lower Kopili Hydroelectric Project has reached the trial commissioning stage.

The government has also proposed setting up 11 small hydropower projects across Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao, Udalguri, Biswanath and Sivasagar districts. New solar power installations are also planned in Sonitpur and Namrup to further expand the state’s clean energy capacity.

Transmission network to be modernised

Apart from increasing power generation, the government has proposed major investments to strengthen electricity transmission infrastructure.

Around Rs 4,600 crore has been allocated for new 400 kV transmission corridors and grid substations aimed at improving power supply across Assam.

Over the next five years, the state plans to add nearly 15,000 circuit kilometres of transmission and distribution lines, establish 120 substations and install around 20,000 High Voltage Distribution Systems (HVDS). The government also aims to reduce transmission and distribution losses from 13.4 per cent to 8 per cent.

Private sector projects to support capacity expansion

The Budget announcement comes alongside major private sector investments in Assam’s power sector. Projects awarded to the Adani Group, including a 3,200 MW thermal power plant and 2,700 MW of pumped storage capacity, are expected to contribute significantly to the state’s future electricity generation capacity.

The Maharashtra government has announced major changes to its latest farm loan waiver programme, removing the earlier eligibility ceiling linked to outstanding dues and extending the cut-off period for overdue loans.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made the announcement in the state legislative assembly while replying to a debate on the opposition-sponsored ‘last week motion’. He said the revised provisions under the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Farm Loan Waiver Scheme are expected to benefit around 56 lakh farmers across the state.

Loan waiver eligibility expanded

Fadnavis said the previous condition under which farmers with dues exceeding Rs 2 lakh were excluded has been removed. According to him, this change will allow thousands of farmers who had earlier missed out on the benefits because of the eligibility ceiling to receive assistance.

The chief minister also announced that the scheme’s cut-off for overdue loans has been extended. Earlier applicable to pending dues until the 2025-26 financial year, the scheme will now include loans outstanding up to the 2026-27 financial year.

Government defends need for loan waiver

Defending the decision, Fadnavis said farm loan waivers are intended to help financially distressed farmers regain access to institutional credit and prevent them from falling into the hands of private moneylenders.

He said the government chose to introduce the scheme despite there being no state elections until 2029, as farmers were facing financial challenges.

The chief minister also highlighted that Maharashtra provides an annual electricity subsidy of around Rs 25,000 crore to farmers, while agricultural subsidy schemes together account for nearly Rs 95,000 crore.

Scheme to provide Rs 36,000 crore in assistance

Rejecting criticism that only a limited number of farmers would benefit, Fadnavis said the revised scheme would provide assistance worth approximately Rs 36,000 crore to around 56 lakh farmers.

He recalled that the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule farm loan waiver scheme launched in 2019 limited eligibility to overdue loans of up to Rs 2 lakh, with farmers losing eligibility even if their dues exceeded the cap by a single rupee. Around 32 lakh farmers had benefited under that programme, he added.

According to the chief minister, Maharashtra has implemented major farm loan waiver schemes in 2017, 2020 and 2026.

Government seeks balance between farmer relief and banking stability

Fadnavis acknowledged that repeated loan waivers could encourage delayed repayments and affect the financial health of cooperative banks.

He said the government considered suggestions to prevent previous beneficiaries from availing future loan waiver schemes but ultimately decided to maintain a balance between supporting farmers and safeguarding the banking system.

The chief minister noted that beneficiaries of the 2017 state loan waiver were excluded from the 2019 Mahatma Phule scheme, while farmers covered under the 2008 national loan waiver were also excluded from Maharashtra’s 2009 programme.

Farmers under earlier scheme also to receive expanded benefit

Responding to demands from ruling alliance legislators, Fadnavis said removing the existing Rs 50,000 repayment-related condition would increase the financial burden on the state by an estimated Rs 4,000-5,000 crore.

However, he announced that farmers who had received benefits under the Mahatma Phule loan waiver scheme would now also be eligible for waiver benefits of up to Rs 2 lakh under the revised framework.

He added that representatives from the banking sector were consulted before finalising the scheme. The state plans to spend Rs 20,000 crore during the first year, Rs 22,000 crore in the second year and Rs 25,000 crore thereafter as part of its broader support for the agriculture sector.