Karnataka, Himachal, Assam to get highest funds for flood relief: Govt
The states, while preparing their memorandum seeking additional financial assistance from NDRF, generally include ineligible items and estimate expenditure beyond the prescribed norms: MoS Nityanand Rai
The Centre has made the highest allocation to Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Assam under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) in the last two years, 2022-24, the government told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
The money was provided for emergency relief and rehabilitation of people affected by natural disasters.
Home Minister Nityanand Rai said the Centre’s high-level committee has approved Rs 941 crore for Karnataka, while Rs 873 crore and Rs 594 crore have been approved for Himachal Pradesh and Assam for floods and landslides in 2022-24.
In a written reply, he said that in the last two years, the NDRF has released Rs 939 crore to Karnataka, Rs 812 crore to Himachal Pradesh and Rs 160 crore to Assam.
Rai said Tamil Nadu has received Rs 276 crore for flood and cyclone relief in the last two years, Sikkim Rs 267 crore for flood and landslide relief and Nagaland Rs 68 crore.
The minister said that Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) have been constituted during 2024-25 (as of July 31, 2024) to conduct on-site assessment of damage caused by Cyclone Remal in Mizoram and Manipur, floods and landslides in Assam and landslides in Kerala.
Mizoram and Manipur have submitted memoranda for additional financial assistance from the NDRF of Rs 216.73 cr and 711.43 cr respectively.
“Additional financial assistance from NDRF is considered as per the laid down procedure. Further, while preparing their memorandum seeking additional financial assistance from NDRF, the states usually include ineligible items and estimate expenditure beyond the prescribed norms,” he said.
Rai said that funds under the NDRF are provided for immediate relief and not for long-term rehabilitation and resettlement work. This is the reason for the variation in the claims made by the states and the amount approved by the central government.
He said the allocation of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to states is based on the recommendations of successive finance commissions, constituted from time to time under Article 280 of the Constitution.
In addition, the provision of assistance from SDRF and NDRF is governed by the Guidelines, Items and Norms for Assistance. These are prepared in consultation with all stakeholders, including States, and are available on the website of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The central government will disburse its share of the SDRF to the state governments in two equal installments (June 1 and December 2) as per the laid down procedure and subject to compliance with the conditions set out in the guidelines, the minister said.
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First print: Aug 07, 2024 | 11:59 PM IST