NEW DELHI, Feb 19: The Union Government has approved ₹1,554.99 crore in additional central assistance under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for five states severely affected by natural disasters in 2024. The High-Level Committee (HLC), chaired by Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah, gave the green light to the funding on Wednesday, aiming to support states that faced challenges from floods, flash floods, landslides, and cyclonic storms.
The breakdown of the approved funding includes ₹608.08 crore for Andhra Pradesh, ₹170.99 crore for Nagaland, ₹255.24 crore for Odisha, ₹231.75 crore for Telangana, and ₹288.93 crore for Tripura. These funds will be drawn from the NDRF, with an adjustment of 50% of the opening balance from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
This relief comes in addition to funds already allocated through the SDRF, with the central government having released ₹18,322.80 crore to 27 states for the 2024-25 financial year. The NDRF has also distributed ₹4,808.30 crore to 18 states, alongside ₹2,208.55 crore from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) to 14 states, and ₹719.72 crore from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) to eight states.
In response to the natural calamities, the Central Government promptly sent Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) to assess the damage in the affected states without awaiting formal requests for assistance.
