Ministry of Finance disburses Rs. 7,532 crore to states for disaster response

In response to the ongoing heavy rains and associated natural disasters across the country, the Ministry of Finance’s Department of Expenditure has promptly released an amount of Rs. 7,532 crore to 22 State Governments for their respective State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF). This swift allocation comes as a measure to provide immediate assistance to the affected States, with the guidelines being relaxed, allowing funds to be disbursed without waiting for the utilisation certificate of the previous financial year’s allocation.

The SDRF is a critical fund established in each State under Section 48(1)(a) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, designed to aid in disaster responses. It serves as the primary fund available to State Governments for providing relief and support during notified calamities such as cyclones, droughts, earthquakes, fires, floods, tsunamis, hailstorms, landslides, avalanches, cloud bursts, pest attacks, and frost & cold waves.

The allocation of SDRF funds to States is determined based on several factors, including past expenditure, area, population, disaster risk index, and other indicators that reflect the State’s institutional capacity, risk exposure, and vulnerability.

Under the 15th Finance Commission recommendations, the Central Government has allocated a total of Rs. 1,28,122.40 crore for the SDRF for the years 2021-22 to 2025-26. The Central Government’s share in this allocation amounts to Rs. 98,080.80 crore.  With the recent release of Rs. 7,532 crore, the total amount of Central share of SDRF released to the State Governments has now reached Rs. 42,366 crore, including the previous disbursement of Rs. 34,140.00 crore.

The detailed breakdown of the released amount for each State is as follows: – Andhra Pradesh: Rs. 493.60 crore – Arunachal Pradesh: Rs. 110.40 crore – Assam: Rs. 340.40 crore – Bihar: Rs. 624.40 crore – Chhattisgarh: Rs. 181.60 crore – Goa: Rs. 4.80 crore – Gujarat: Rs. 584.00 crore – Haryana: Rs. 216.80 crore – Himachal Pradesh: Rs. 180.40 crore – Karnataka: Rs. 348.80 crore – Kerala: Rs. 138.80 crore – Maharashtra: Rs. 1420.80 crore – Manipur: Rs. 18.80 crore – Meghalaya: Rs. 27.20 crore – Mizoram: Rs. 20.80 crore – Odisha: Rs. 707.60 crore – Punjab: Rs. 218.40 crore – Tamil Nadu: Rs. 450.00 crore – Telangana: Rs. 188.80 crore – Tripura: Rs. 30.40 crore – Uttar Pradesh: Rs. 812.00 crore – Uttarakhand: Rs. 413.20 crore The Ministry of Home Affairs’ recommendations have been followed to release these funds urgently and support the affected States in their relief efforts.