New Delhi, Jun 18: A high-level committee headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah has approved Rs 2006.40 crore as Central assistance to Himachal Pradesh, for the recovery and reconstruction plan in the aftermath of flood, landslides and cloudburst incidents of 2023.

The committee, comprising the Finance Minister, Agriculture Minister and Vice Chairman NITI Aayog as members, considered the proposal for financial assistance to the state from the recovery and reconstruction funding window under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).

The financial assistance from the Centre will help the state in carrying out recovery and reconstruction activities, required due to the damage and destruction that occurred during the 2023 monsoon. Out of the Rs 2,006.40 crore that has been approved, Rs 1,504.80 crore will be the central share from the Recovery and Reconstruction Funding Window under the National Disaster Response Fund. Earlier, on December 12, 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs had approved additional financial assistance of Rs 633.73 crore from the NDRF for Himachal Pradesh, which was affected by this disaster, according to the official statement.

The Central government had approved recovery plans for the states of Uttarakhand to the tune of Rs 1,658.17 crore, in the aftermath of the Joshimath subsistence and another Rs 555.27 crore for Sikkim, in the aftermath of the GLOF incident of 2023.

The Central government had also approved a number of mitigation projects with overall financial outlay of Rs 7,253.51 crore, for mitigating the risks of a number of hazards in the areas of urban floods (Rs 3,075.65 crore), landslides (Rs 1,000 crore), GLOF (Rs 150 crore), forest fire (Rs 818.92 crore), lightening (Rs 186.78 crore) and drought (Rs 2,022.16 crore).

This additional assistance is over and above the funds released by the Centre to the states in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), already placed at the disposal of the states. During the financial year 2024-25, the Central government has released Rs 20,264.40 crore to 28 states under SDRF and Rs 5,160.76 crore under NDRF to 19 states. Additionally, Rs 4,984.25 crore from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) to 19 states and Rs 719.72 crore from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) to states have also been released, the statement said.

“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government of India is standing shoulder to shoulder with the state governments during natural calamities and disasters. To fulfil Prime Minister Modi’s vision of a disaster-resilient India, the Ministry of Home Affairs, under the guidance of Home Minister Amit Shah, has taken several initiatives to ensure effective management of disasters in the country. A number of steps have been taken to prevent any extensive loss to life and property during disasters by strengthening the disaster risk reduction system in India,” the statement added.

(IANS)

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