Centre offers Rs 1554.99 cr to five disaster-hit states — but not Kerala

A committee headed by union home minister Amit Shah has approved Rs 1554.99 crore of additional central assistance under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to five states affected by floods, flash floods, landslides and cyclonic storms in 2024.

Out of the total amount of Rs 1,554.99 crore, Rs 608.08 crore has been approved for Andhra Pradesh, Rs 170.99 crore for Nagaland, Rs 255.24 crore for Odisha, Rs 231.75 crore for Telangana and Rs 288.93 crore for Tripura, according to an official statement.

In a post on X, Shah said, ‘The Modi government stands like a rock in support of the disaster-affected people. Today, the MHA approved an additional central assistance of Rs 1554.99 crore to Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland, Odisha, Telangana, and Tripura under the NDR fund. This is in addition to the Rs. 18,322.80 crore released by the Centre to 27 states under the SDR fund.’

The high-level committee approved central assistance worth Rs 1,554.99 crore to five states from the NDRF, subject to an adjustment of 50 per cent of the opening balance available for the year in the SDRF.

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.

During the financial year 2024–25, the Centre has released Rs 18,322.80 crore to 27 states from the SDRF and Rs 4,808.30 crore from the NDRF to 18 states, as well as another Rs 2208.55 crore from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) to 14 states and Rs 719.72 crore from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) to 8 states.

The Centre had deputed inter-ministerial central teams (IMCTs) to these states immediately after the calamities, without waiting for the receipt of formal memorandums, the statement said.