Centre approves ₹1816 cr additional assistance to 5 states for disasters

The central government on Monday approved Rs 1,816.162 crore of additional central assistance to Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Meghalaya and Nagaland as they faced natural disasters like floods, landslides and cloudburst in 2022. A high-level committee, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, took the decision showing the resolve of the central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help the people of the five States who faced these natural disasters, said a Home Ministry statement. Additional central assistance will be provided to these states under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). Of the total central assistance of Rs 1,816.162 crore, Rs 520.466 crore has been approved to Assam, Rs 239.31 crore to Himachal Pradesh, Rs 941.04 crore to Karnataka, Rs 47.326 crore to Meghalaya and Rs 68.02 crore to Nagaland. 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, said the statement. During the financial year 2022-23, the central government has released Rs 15,770.40 crore to 25 states in their SDRF and Rs 502.744 crore to four states from NDRF.