MHA approves Rs 4381 cr to 6 states hit by natural disaster

India, 13th November: MHA approves Rs 4381 cr to 6 states hit by natural disaster The High-Level Committee (HLC) under the chairmanship of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah has approved additional Central assistance under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to six states, who were affected by cyclones, floods, and landslides during this year.

The committee has approved additional Central assistance of Rs 4,381.88 crore to six states – Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim, West Bengal, Odisha, and Maharashtra from the National Disaster Response Fund.

As per the statement issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs Friday says for cyclone ‘Amphan’, Rs 2,707.77 crore has been approved for West Bengal and Rs 128.23 crore for Odisha.

Rs 268.59 crore has been approved for Maharashtra which was hit by cyclone Nisarga.

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

After cyclone ‘Amphan’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the affected States of West Bengal and Odisha on 22 May 2020. As announced by the Prime Minister, financial assistance of Rs 1,000 crore to West Bengal and Rs 500 crore to Odisha were released, in advance, on 23 May 2020 for immediate relief activities in these states, the statement said.

In addition, PM Modi 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.

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 a memorandum from the affected state governments, it said.

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