Shah led high-level committee approves Rs 1,887 cr to 5 calamity-hit states

A high-level committee headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday approved Rs 1,887.23 crore as additional central assistance to five states which were affected by floods, landslides and hailstorm during 2021.

The states which will get the central assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) are Bihar (Rs 1,038.96 crore), West Bengal (Rs 475.04 crore), Rajasthan (292.51 crore), Sikkim (Rs 59.35 crore) and Himachal Pradesh (Rs 21.37 crore), said an official statement.

This additional assistance is over and above the funds released by the Centre to the states in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), already placed at the disposal of the states.

During the financial year 2021-22, the central government has released Rs 17,747.20 crore to 28 states in their SDRF and Rs 6,197.98 crore to nine states from the NDRF, it said.

The central government had deputed Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) to these states and Union Territories immediately after the calamities without waiting for the receipt of memorandum from them.

The high-level committee under the chairmanship of the Union Home minister has approved the additional central assistance under the NDRF to five states, which were affected by floods, landslides and hailstorm during 2021, said the statement.

This shows the resolve of the union government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help the people of the five states who faced these natural disasters, it said.