NEW DELHI: A high-level committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs, headed by Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday approved additional central assistance of over Rs 707 crore for Assam and Gujarat, which were severely affected by floods and landslides in 2024. This assistance is being provided by the NDRF, subject to a 50% adjustment of the opening balance available in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
The committee also sanctioned Rs 903 crore to Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for the expansion and modernisation of fire services.
“Out of Rs 707.97 crore, Rs 313.69 crore has been approved for Assam and Rs 394.28 crore for Gujarat,” the MHA said in a statement. Of the amount allotted for Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, Rs 676.33 crore will come as central assistance. The share of the three states is as follows: Rs 117.19 crore for Haryana, Rs 397.54 crore for Madhya Pradesh, and Rs 388.94 crore for Rajasthan.
The home minister said the Centre under the prime minister’s leadership “is standing shoulder to shoulder with the State Governments during natural calamities and disasters and providing all necessary support”. It is essential to note that this additional assistance is in addition to the funds already released by the Centre to the States under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), which are already at the disposal of the States. The MHA further added that the Union government has released Rs 13,603.20 crore to 27 states under SDRF and Rs 2,024.04 crore under NDRF to 12 states.
Moreover, Rs 4,571.30 crore has been released from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) to 21 states, and Rs 372.09 crore from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) to nine states, the ministry said.