He said the central government would extend all possible help to the Bihar government.

An amount of Rs.100,000 would be given from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund to the next of kin of those killed in the floods.

"The central government will provide necessary material and technical assistance to the state government to prevent further deterioration in the embankments and protective structures," said a statement issued here.

The Bihar chief minister asked the prime minister to find a permanent solution to the problem of floods in consultation with Nepal.

Manmohan SIngh said a high-level team would be set up to coordinate matters with the government of Nepal.

The central government has said it will procure and supply tarpaulin tents and GI sheets for the flood affected.

Special Indian Air Force sorties would be arranged to provide packaged drinking water and high capacity helicopters would be deployed for evacuation of people, the statement said.

Teams of doctors and paramedics would be kept on standby.

The ministry of home affairs and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will jointly provide 100 additional motorized boats for rescue operations, while the department of animal husbandry will provide assistance for the livestock affected by the floods.

Nitish Kumar, who met Manmohan Singh a day earlier in New Delhi, said over 55 people had died in the current floods and over 2.5 million people in 15 districts affected.