Centre approves Rs 4,382 crore as calamity assistance to six states

NEW DELHI: A high-level committee, headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has approved the release of nearly Rs 4,382 crore to six states as central assistance for the natural calamities they faced this year.

The funds will be released to West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Sikkim as assistance for the damage caused by cyclone, floods and landslides during the year.

The high-level committee has approved additional central assistance of Rs 4,381.88 crore to six states from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), a statement by the Home Ministry said.

For cyclone 'Amphan', Rs 2,707.77 crore has been approved for West Bengal and Rs 128.23 crore for Odisha.

For cyclone 'Nisarga', Rs 268.59 crore has been approved for Maharashtra.

For floods and landslides during the South-West monsoon, Rs 577.84 crore has been approved for Karnataka, Rs 611.61 crore for Madhya Pradesh, and Rs 87.84 crore for Sikkim.

In the aftermath of cyclone 'Amphan', Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the affected states of West Bengal and Odisha on May 22.

As announced by the prime minister, financial assistance of Rs 1,000 crore was released for West Bengal and Rs 500 crore for Odisha, in advance, on May 23 for immediate relief activities in the two states.

In addition, the prime minister had also announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for the next of kin of the dead and Rs 50,000 for the injured, which was over and above the ex-gratia provided through the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and the NDRF, the statement said.

In all the six states, the central government had deputed Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) immediately after the calamities, without waiting for the receipt of memorandum from the affected states.

In addition, during the financial year 2020-21, till date, the central government has released Rs 15,524.43 crore to 28 states from the SDRF, the statement added.