State to set up natural calamities relief fund, this year: CM

Karnataka government would set up a natural calamities relief fund during this year to build capital assets and provide relief in respect of man-made disasters, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said today.
"Our government is setting up, during this year, a natural calamities relief fund which would provide for building capital assets and relief in respect of man-made disasters that are not covered under the state disaster response fund guidelines of the Government of India," he said.
The fund will be utilised to mitigate hardships arising on account of calamities and to meet the demands of districts, as well as for taking up calamities-resistant activities.

He said, "Karnataka is the first State to adopt the Planning Commission's guidelines to plan for disaster management in the country, to create such a fund by pooling 0.5 per cent of the un-earmarked plan allocations of all such departments, which amounts to Rs 125 crore."
Inaugurating a workshop on best international practices in building resilient cities here, the Chief Minister also said to have adequate preparedness to meet any possible disaster, an additional allocation of Rs 100 crore has been made for disaster management in the current year's budget.
Assuring government's commitment to make all the cities safe for its residents, he said, "We have earmarked an amount of Rs 150 crore in our state budget for providing infrastructure in the five major cities like Bangalore,Mysore, Mangalore, Belgaum and Hubli-Dharwad, so that they become safe cities in the next five years."

Siddaramaiah also stated that transforming Karnataka as sustained resilient state against all sorts of disasters (man-made or natural) is the need of the hour.
"This transformation has to be real, practicable and permanent and ought to begin with our capital city -Bengaluru, that enjoys an enviable distinction of being one of the top ten most preferred entrepreneurial destinations in the world," he said.