Revise SDRF compensation amount: Assam Government to Centre

 STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The State Government has requested the Centre to revise the compensation amount paid to disaster-affected people under the SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund) at the June 13 meeting on disaster management held in New Delhi.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired the meeting with the ministers of Disaster Management of the states and union territories. The meeting had a detailed discussion on disaster management. Assam Revenue and Disaster Management (R&DM) Minister Jogen Mohan also took part in the meeting, where he made a request for the enhancement of the compensation amount for rehabilitation after disaster.

Speaking to The Sentinel, Minister Jogen Mohan said, “Assam is one of the most disaster-affected states in the country. Floods are a perennial problem in the state, which has to bear the brunt in the form of losses incurred in the damage to households, public property, livestock, standing crops, and whatnot. We feel it is high time the Centre revised the amount for the compensation for rehabilitation and restoration of damaged PWD roads.”

According to sources, at present, the compensation for rehabilitation of fully damaged houses is Rs 1.20 lakh, Rs 6,500 for partially damaged pucca houses, and Rs 4,000 for partially damaged kutcha houses under the SDRF. The State Government has requested the Centre to create another slab between fully damaged and partially damaged houses with an amount of Rs 50,000 as compensation for rehabilitation. This is because the Rs 6,500 and Rs 4,000 are too meagre to restore a partially damaged house in Assam, where devastating floods leave thousands of houses partially damaged every year.

The R&DM Minister also requested the Centre to enhance the amount of restoration of damaged PWD roads to Rs 3 lakh per km from the existing rate of Rs 60,000 per km under the SDRF. The minister said that the proposal for the revision of the rate for restoration of damaged PWD roads and rehabilitation grants received support from some other states as well.

On the current wave of floods in the State, the minister said that the department had already instructed the district and sub-divisional administrations to extend a helping hand to the affected people. The State Government has already released the GR (gratuitous relief) funds to the district and sub-divisional administrations in advance to ensure relief materials at the right moment.

The Centre provides SDRF to the states in the 90:10 funding pattern.

Also Read:  State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to Assam for financial year 2023–24 increased to Rs 946 crore

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