Centre raises contribution to state disaster funds by 15%

The Centre on Thursday announced to enhance its contribution to the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) from 75 per cent to 90 per cent with effect from April 1 this year.

With the declaration, the contribution of all states to the SDRF fund would be only 10 per cent, said a Home Ministry statement. The SDRF is a resource available to the states to meet the expenses of relief operations of immediate nature, for a range of specified disasters.

The SDRF has been constituted in each state in which the Centre had been, so far, contributing 75 per cent for general category states and 90 per cent for special category states of hilly regions every year.

"The additional contribution by Central government in SDRF on this account will be Rs 1,690.35 crore for the year 2018-19 and Rs 1,774.67 crore for the financial year 2019-20," said the statement.

Under the Disaster Management Act 2005, a financial mechanism has been set up by way of National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) at national level and SDRF at state level to meet the rescue and relief expenditure during any notified disaster.

"At any point, a state government has fair amount of funds available under the SDRF. In case of any natural calamity beyond the coping capacity of a state, additional financial assistance, as per norms, is provided by the Central government from NDRF, in which 100 per cent funding is by the Central government," the statement said.

--IANS

rak/nir