PATNA, Oct. 11 -- The state government is preparing to place a demand of more than Rs.10,000 crore before the Centre as compensation for the widespread damage inflicted by the recent floods on people, agriculture and public infrastructure, a senior officer familiar with the assessment process said. The first wave of flooding struck in the opening week of September, setting multiple highest flood levels (HFL) and affecting over 5 million people across more than 2,000 villages in 576 panchayats of 15 districts by the first week of this month. "The assessment of damages is in the final stages. We hope that the assessment will conclude next week and the final demand will be sent to the Centre soon after," a principal secretary-rank officer said. A senior official of the disaster management department (DMD), the nodal agency, said that the process was delayed by a second wave that hit the north-western districts late and caused extensive damage to standing crops, infrastructure, school buildings, embankments and roads. "Final assessment is waiting for the receding of water from the fields," he added. The agriculture department's preliminary assessment has put crop losses at around Rs.270 crore, covering roughly 170,000 hectares across more than 100 blocks in 18 districts, with paddy, maize, vegetables and banana crops among the worst hit. Officials indicated the figure could rise further once water fully recedes and detailed field verification is completed; some estimates already point to losses exceeding Rs.300 crore. Under NDRF norms, eligible farmers stand to receive input subsidies ranging from Rs.8,500 per hectare for unirrigated land to Rs.17,000 for irrigated areas and up to Rs.22,500 for perennial crops. Major infrastructure devastation has been reported by the rural works department (RWD), water resources department (WRD), road construction department (RCD) and the education department....