Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The 16th Finance Commission has recommended a total of Rs 5,825 crore under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) for Assam for five financial years (FYs), i.e., from 2026-27 to 2030-31. Of this total, an amount of Rs 4,660 has been recommended under SDRF and the remaining Rs 1,165 crore under SDMF.
The funding pattern of SDRF and SDMF is 90:10 for the Northeastern and Himalayan states and 75:25 for general/other states. The SDRF is crucial for a state like Assam, as floods are a regular occurrence here and compensation needs to be paid to the next of kin of people who die in floods and other disasters. Additionally, funds for gratuitous relief and rehabilitation grants are sourced from this fund. The grants and relief for the recent floods are being paid from SDRF.
As per the recommendations in the report by the 16th Finance Commission, the year-wise allocation for Assam is as follows: Rs 843 crore for FY 2026-27, Rs 885 crore for FY 2027-28, Rs 929 crore for FY 2028-29, Rs 975 crore for FY 2029-30 and Rs 1028 crore for 2030-31.
Of the total SDRF amount of Rs 4,660 crore for Assam, the central share will be Rs 4,194 crore and the state share Rs 466 crore.
The financial year-wise breakup for funds under SDMF for Assam is as follows: Rs 211 crore for 2026-27, Rs 222 crore for 2027-28, Rs 233 crore for 2028-29, Rs 245 crore for 2029-30 and Rs 254 crore for 2030-31.
Moreover, the allocation of Rs 1,165 crore under SDMF for Assam comprises Rs 1048.50 crore as the central share and the remaining Rs 116.50 crore as the state share.
Finance Commissions recommend funds for a span of five financial years for any state. Before recommending the funds for Assam, the 16th Finance Commission undertook a visit to the state.
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