THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has approved funds to help districts and local bodies prepare for the monsoon season. The decision is to prevent and respond quickly to any disaster caused by heavy rains and flooding.
According to an order from the disaster management department, Rs 1 crore has been sanctioned to each district collector from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). Out of this, up to Rs 25 lakh can be used at the collector’s discretion for urgent preparedness or relief work.
In addition, the districts of Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode will receive an extra Rs 2 crore each. This money is to be used for flood prevention and related works in the cities, which are more prone to flooding during the monsoon.
The government has also released funds to local self-government institutions for basic preparedness work.
The government has approved, Rs 1 lakh for each grama panchayat, Rs 3 lakh for each municipality and Rs 5 lakh for each corporation.
District collectors have been asked to calculate the total amount required for allocating funds to the local bodies and send their recommendations to the government immediately.