“As soon as possible, assistance must be made available.”
13 July, Srinagar: On Thursday, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s allocation of Rs 7,532 cr to address the country’s ongoing flood issue.
Chugh said that the time had come for governments to provide resources effectively and quickly to those in need. Your Pradhan Sevak is always there for you.The Honourable Prime Minister Shri @NarendraModi Ji has immediately provided financial assistance of Rs 7,532 crores to the 22 states affected by natural disasters in the country and has directed all the states that there should be no slack in the rescue work and that all the needy people should be reached soon. He tweeted that relief should be sent as quickly as possible.
The Ministry of Finance’s Department of Expenditure has today transferred Rs. 7,532 crore to 22 state governments’ State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF). According to the advice of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the funds are now available.
Guidelines were loosened and the money was issued as emergency aid to states after widespread flooding, according to a government document, so that they wouldn’t have to wait for a certificate of use for the money given to them in the previous fiscal year.
In accordance with Section 48 (1) (a) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, each state has established a State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). State governments rely heavily on this money to respond to declared catastrophes. In regular states, the central government pays 75% of the SDRF, but in the North-East and the Himalayan States, it pays 90%.
The Finance Commission suggests splitting the yearly Central contribution into two equal payments, so that all parties benefit equally. Funds are disbursed once the State Government submits a report detailing the use of SDRF money and a Utilisation Certificate is received for the previous disbursement. Due to the critical nature of the situation, however, these protocols were temporarily suspended during the release of the cash.
Only costs associated with responding to cyclones, droughts, earthquakes, fires, floods, tsunamis, hailstorms, landslides, avalanches, cloud bursts, pest attacks, and frost & cold waves may be paid for out of the SDRF.
Past spending, area, population, and the disaster risk index are only few of the parameters used to determine how much of the SDRF each state receives. The institutional strength, risk exposure, and vulnerability of individual states are all reflected here.
The 15th Finance Commission recommended a budget of Rs. 1,28,122.40 crore for the SDRF from 2021-22 to 2025-26, and the Central Government has approved this amount. The budget of the Central Government represents Rs.98,080.80 crore of this total. Prior to this disbursement, the Central Government has already disbursed Rs. 34,140.00 crore. The total amount of the Central share of the SDRF disbursed to the State Governments so far is Rs. 42,366 crore with this latest distribution.
