India, Sept. 16 -- Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited flood-affected areas of Vaishali district on Wednesday during his day-long tour of the state to review relief and rescue operations in areas hit by the deluge, officials said.

Accompanied by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, the Union agriculture minister inspected the flood-affected Terasia and Saraipur villages in Vaishali district by boat and tractor. Officials said he will also assess crop damage and meet local farmers to hear their concerns.

According to a statement by the Disaster Management Department on Wednesday, around 49.74 lakh people in 15 districts of Bihar have been affected by floods as heavy rainfall in Nepal and in the state swelled the rivers already flowi...