E-Paper
Rs 5751 crore additional assistance to 8 states cleared under NDRF
Rs 10,937.62 crore have been released to 29 states in the current fiscal and an additional assistance of Rs 14,108.58 crore has been given to eight states.
The Central government on Saturday approved additional funds to eight states that were affected by disasters last year with home minister Amit Shah clearing the path for the payment of Rs 5,751.27 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
Kerala, Maharashtra, Bihar, Nagaland, Odisha, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Karnataka were hit by disasters such as floods, landslides, cyclone or drought last year and stand to benefit from this order. The decision was taken by a high-level committee of the home ministry
The assistance is subject to the adjustment of 50 per cent of balances available in the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) account as on April 1 of the financial year, said a home ministry release.
“Rs 953.17 crore to Bihar (of this Rs 400 crore already released ‘on account basis’), Rs 460.77 crore to Kerala, Rs 177.37 crore to Nagaland, Rs 179.64 crore to Odisha, Rs 1,758.18 crore to Maharashtra, Rs 1,119.98 crore to Rajasthan, Rs 1,090.68 crore to West Bengal for floods, landslides, cyclone, drought (kharif) during 2019 and Rs 11.48 crore to Karnataka towards additional assistance under animal husbandry sector for drought (rabi) of 2018-19,” says the home ministry release, quoted by PTI
Rs 10,937.62 crore have been released to 29 states in the current fiscal and an additional assistance of Rs 14,108.58 crore has been given to eight states, the agency adds.
Central government had earlier empowered the states to use the disaster management funds to pay for testing and treatment facilities for coronavirus among other purposes.
The provision for NDRF has been made under the Disaster Management Act, a national law that allows the Center to declare the entire country or part of it as affected by a disaster and to make plans for mitigation to reduce “risks, impacts and effects” of the disaster.
DMA has also been invoked to mount a cohesive nationwide response to the Covid-19.
