It is surprising that the country is more interested in other works like mortgaging the country's sovereignty in the midst of this national tragedy of flooding and making this country only autonomous. Even our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made an statement that country's autonomy will be retained in 1 2 3 agreement with the US.

Needless to say that the national attention is diverted from the tragedy of flooding to the Indo - US neuclear deal.

Even according to the Government of India, 2,217 people have lost their lives in India to the southwest monsoon since June. And with heavy rainfall predicted for the rest of this week, the number is expected to rise.

Close to 3,200 people in South Asia have died as the heavy monsoon rains and floods have taken their toll.

Rivers are overflowing, tens of thousands of villages have been washed out, and refugees have numbered in the tens of millions. The number of people affected will rise as floodwaters recede, and water-borne diseases continue to spread. Outbreaks of diarrhea and cholera have been confirmed.

In Bihar, the hardest hit state in India, almost 10,000 villages with a population of over 20 million have been affected in the state's worst flooding in 30 years. More than 530 medical teams and 7,000 boats have been deployed in the state to provide medical care to the survivors, according to government sources. Military helicopters have dropped thousands of food packets to those affected.

In the eastern state of Orissa, state health workers were working to contain an outbreak of cholera. 'People in several low-lying areas - where roads were submerged and water gushed into houses- suffered enormous panic', wrote a local source in Cuttack, Orissa.

It is shame for India that our governments are not able to carry even relief works on their own. This is the reality which is being concealed by the government by making statements that India is growing very fast and has achieved a growth rate of about 9 per cent. The reality is that India is a country of poors and sufferers who are not being given the fruits of economic growth.

In this scenario, it is commendable that India Partners is conducting relief in the states of Bihar, Orissa, and Andhra Pradesh in partnership with several long-term local agencies, including EFICOR and Orphans Faith Home. To date, $24,000 has been raised to provide emergency food packets, clean water, medicines, and temporary shelter to 4,000 people for 3 weeks.

The US based relief agency continues to seek funding to provide food, blankets, medicine, water, and temporary shelter for flood survivors.

The government of India's efforts along with the efforts of the state governments are too little to cope with the problem.

There is neither any effective long term plan nor any proper short term plan. Reliefs are but only ad - hocism. #