New Delhi: A High-Level Committee (HLC) led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah today approved Rs. 3027.86 crore for disaster mitigation in various states. The committee, which includes key ministers and NITI Aayog’s Vice Chairman, evaluated proposals to enhance lightning safety in 50 districts vulnerable to severe lightning across 10 states. Additionally, it provided support for 49 drought-affected districts in 12 states, funded by the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF).
The High-Level Committee further approved the project designed to provide catalytic assistance to the 12 states that are most vulnerable to drought, with an overall budget of Rs. 2022.16 crore. The Central Government’s share of this funding will amount to Rs. 1200 crore. The states identified for this support include Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.
Furthermore, the Committee also endorsed the Mitigation Project concerning Lightning Safety in 10 states, with a total investment of Rs. 186.78 crore. The states involved in this initiative are Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
The Mitigation Scheme for Forest Fire Risk Management too received approval from the Union Home Minister for implementation in 144 high-priority districts across 19 states, with a total financial allocation of Rs. 818.92 crores. The central government will contribute Rs. 690.63 crores from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) and the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). This scheme is designed to revolutionize the forest fire management strategy in the country, focusing on strengthening and facilitating critical activities for the prevention and mitigation of forest fires. The states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttarakhand will be responsible for submitting their proposals, which will outline the necessary measures for forest fire mitigation, readiness for response, and recovery following fire incidents.
Before the introduction of these proposals, the High-Level Committee (HLC) had sanctioned financial support from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) for various initiatives, including Urban Flood Risk Mitigation Projects across seven major cities, amounting to a total expenditure of Rs 3,075.65 crore. Additionally, funding for Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) Risk Management in four states was approved, totalling Rs 150 crore, and Landslide Risk Mitigation efforts in 15 states were allocated Rs 1,000 crore.
Moreover, during the current financial year, over Rs 24,981 crore has been disbursed to the states. This sum comprises Rs 17,479.60 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to 27 states, Rs 4,808.30 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to 18 states, Rs 1,973.55 crore from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) to 13 states, and Rs 719.72 crore from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) to eight states.
– global bihari bureau
