New Delhi [India], April 5 (ANI): Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government of India is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the state governments during natural calamities and disasters, said a statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday.
Under this, the High-Level Committee (HLC), under the Chairmanship of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah, has approved Rs.1280.35 crore of additional Central assistance to Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and UT of Puducherry, affected by flood, flash flood, cloudburst, landslides, cyclonic storm, during year 2024.
The HLC approved central assistance of Rs.1247.29 crore to three States from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), subject to an adjustment of 50% of the opening balance for the year available in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and Rs 33.06 crore to one UT. Out of the total amount of Rs 1,280.35 crore, Rs 588.73 crore has been approved for Bihar, Rs 136.22 crore for Himachal Pradesh, Rs 522.34 crore for Tamil Nadu and Rs 33.06 crore for the Union Territory of Puducherry.
This additional assistance is over and above the funds released by the Centre to the States in the SDRF and Union Territorial Disaster Response Fund (UTDRF), already placed at the disposal of the States/UT.
During the financial year 2024-25, the Central Government has released Rs. 20,264.40 crore to 28 States under SDRF and Rs. 5,160.76 crore under NDRF to 19 States. Additionally, Rs. 4984.25 crore from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) to 19 States and Rs. 719.72 crore from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) to 08 States have also been released.
The Central Government had deputed Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) to these States immediately after the calamities, without waiting for the receipt of a formal Memorandum. (ANI)