Disaster response: UP submits proposals to Finance Commission, urges rule revision for funds
Disaster response: UP submits proposals to Finance Commission, urges rule revision for funds
Lucknow, Highlighting disparity between death counts under state-notified disasters and the nationally recognised ones, the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday said it has submitted a series of proposals to the 16th Finance Commission to fortify its disaster response and mitigation mechanisms.
Key among these proposals is the request to revise the rules governing the State Disaster Response Fund and the State Disaster Mitigation Fund to ensure faster and more effective relief for disaster-affected citizens, it said in a statement.
"The government has strongly advocated for the inclusion of state-notified disasters, such as heatwaves, lightning strikes, unseasonal rains, storms, snakebites, and drownings, in the national list of recognised disasters," it said.
"This push stems from the reality that these incidents disproportionately impact Uttar Pradesh. For instance, in the financial year 2024-25, 4,534 deaths were reported due to state-notified disasters, compared to 176 from nationally recognised ones," the government said.
According to the statement, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has personally taken the lead in urging the central government to acknowledge the severity of these challenges and to extend appropriate support.
In line with this, the state has proposed increasing the permissible expenditure limit for state-notified disasters from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, reflecting the scale and intensity of their impact, it said.
Another notable recommendation seeks to allow flexibility in fund allocation by permitting inter-head budget transfers within disaster funds. This would ensure optimal utilisation of resources, especially in cases where certain allocations remain unspent, it noted.
Additionally, the state said it has requested approval to construct dedicated buildings for District Disaster Management Authorities in every district — a move currently not permitted under existing SDRF and SDMF guidelines.
A demand has also been made to allocate 1 per cent of the fund for administrative expenses, which would support the creation of a more robust and responsive administrative framework for disaster management.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
