Centre approves INR 5,751 crore for 8 disaster-hit states; Nagaland gets INR 177.37 crore

New Delhi, March 27 (IANS): The Centre on Friday decided to provide additional assistance of INR 5,751.27 crore to eight states who faced disasters such as landslides, floods, drought and cyclone during 2019.

The decision was taken in a High Level Committee (HLC) under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The committee approved additional Central assistance under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to Bihar, Kerala, Nagaland, Odisha, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Karnataka. These states were affected by floods, landslides, cyclone and drought during 2019.

"The HLC approved additional Central assistance of INR 5751.27 crore to eight States from NDRF subject to the adjustment of 50 per cent of balances available in the SDRF account as on April 1 of the financial year," a Home Ministry statement said.

Of the INR 5,751.27 crore, a total of INR 953.17 crore has been allocated to Bihar (of this INR 400 crore already released ‘on account basis’); INR 460.77 crore to Kerala; INR 177.37 crore to Nagaland; INR 179.64 crore to Odisha; INR 1,758.18 crore to Maharashtra; INR 1,119.98 crore to Rajasthan; INR 1,090.68 crore to West Bengal for floods, landslides, cyclone, drought (kharif) during 2019; and INR 11.48 crore to Karnataka towards additional assistance under Animal Husbandry sector for drought (rabi) of 2018-19.

During the 2019-20, to date, the Central government has already released INR 10,937.62 crore to 29 states, including erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir, as Central share from State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and additional assistance of INR 14,108.58 crore to states under NDRF.