New Delhi: In another blow to the rain ravaged Kerala, the central government has snubbed it while allocating aid to the states suffering from severe natural calamities during the last financial year.
On Tuesday, the centre approved release of over Rs 4,432 crore to the flood-affected states of Odisha, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh. However, Kerala, which also suffered from floods and deadly landslides triggered by heavy downpour that came with the southwest monsoon, failed to get featured in the list.
In a statement, the Home ministry said a high-level committee, headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has approved additional central assistance of Rs 3338.22 crore to Odisha for the damage caused by the cyclone Fani, Rs 1029.39 crore to Karnataka for drought and Rs 64.49 crore to Himachal Pradesh for avalanches and hailstorm during 2018-19.
The funds will be disbursed from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
This additional assistance is over and above the funds released by the Centre in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) already placed at the disposal of states.
A calamity report issued by the Kerala Government said 121 people have lost their lives in the State in the second spell of the southwest monsoon rains since August 8. The report also said that 1,789 houses were fully damaged in the monsoon.
The Kerala government had announced a flood compensation package with an immediate financial aid of up to Rs 10,000 each to all calamity-hit families. Massive landslides had wiped out two villages at Kavalappara in Malappuram and Puthumala in Wayanad.
In 2018, the Centre had approved Rs 3,048 crore as an additional assistance from the NDRF to Kerala, which witnessed the worst flood in a century.
The Kerala government had sought Rs 4,700 crore as compensation from the Central government for the damage caused by the rains, in which at least 488 people died.
Expenditure from the NDRF is meant to assist a state to provide immediate relief in those cases of severe calamity, where the expenditure required is in excess of the balance in the state's SDRF.
The high-level panel also reviewed the existing practice of deputing an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) after the receipt of memorandum from the state in the wake of any severe calamity.
In a significant decision taken by Shah, the IMCT will henceforth be constituted immediately in the aftermath of any natural calamity of severe nature, which will visit the affected areas in the state so as to have first hand assessment of damages caused and relief work carried out by the state administration.
The IMCT will again visit the state after submission of the memorandum for detailed assessment of the damage and relief operations conducted for making final recommendations for allocation of additional funds.
At present, the IMCT visits the affected state only once after the receipt of memorandum from the state.
In line with this decision, Ministry of Home Affairs will immediately constitute and depute the IMCTs to Assam, Meghalya, Tripura, Bihar, Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala affected by recent floods.
The meeting also reviewed the ongoing flood situation in different parts of the country and the logistic support provided by central agencies including deployment of relief personnel and defence forces.
In the combined rescue operations in the states affected by floods, landslides etc. during the current monsoon season, the relief personnel, Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard have rescued and shifted to safer places more than 1,53,000 people.
The flood situation in the country is being continuously monitored by the home minister.
Shah directed senior officers to continue to take every possible measure to deal with the situation arising out of south-west Monsoon in the states concerned and to extend all necessary assistance to the flood-affected states.
The meeting was attended by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and senior officers of the Ministries of Home, Finance, Agriculture and NITI Aayog.
