Dispur seeks flood relief fund, moves Delhi

Dispur seeks flood relief fund, moves Delhi

GUWAHATI, June 14: With the first spate of monsoons and the accompanying floods already creating havoc in the State, the Assam Government has moved the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) seeking the early release of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for the year 2018-19.

The disaster response fund is allocated on a 90:10 share basis. This year’s SDRF overall allocation is Rs 532 crore and the Central share is Rs 478.80 crore with the remaining being the State’s share. The Central share is released in two installments. Seeking the release of the first installment Dispur has written a letter to the MHA, a highly placed source informed The Sentinel.

Notably, the immediate release of the disaster relief fund has become a necessity as only Rs 198.19 crore is available with the State Government to be used in such exigencies. However, the committed liabilities presently are estimated to over Rs 500 crore.

Meanwhile, the State Government has already released Rs 47.68 crore to the Deputy Commissioners and SDOs (Civil) for providing relief to the flood affected people in the respective districts and sub divisions. The amount is being released as advance Gratuitous Relief (Flood) Fund. This has become a necessity as the disaster relief work is already progressing across the State. The highest amount of Rs 4 crore is released each to Majuli and Morigaon districts.

The source further informed The Sentinel that the State Government did not get any additional flood damage amount besides the normal allocation last year. The floods that had hit the State in 2017-18 was one of the most devastating in the last decade with the death toll being 160 across the State.

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