NEW DELHI, Aug 2 - The Assam government may have been clamouring for additional funds to provide flood relief, but it had Rs 2,790 crore in its coffers as on April 1, the State Accountant General (AG) of Assam has reported.
The Government of India released the first instalment of the Central share of SDRF amounting to Rs 228.15 crore for the year 2017-18 to the State government on June 28, 2017. In addition, as reported by the Assam AG, an amount of Rs 2,790.65 crore is available in the SDRF account as on April 1 for management of relief necessitated by notified natural disasters in the affected areas, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Guwahati on Tuesday announced a package of Rs 2,000 crore for immediate flood relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities of the damaged infrastructure in the northeastern region. The amount excludes Rs 250 crore announced for immediate flood relief operations in Assam, which comes in addition to a package of Rs 345 crore released in June this year.
The state governments are primarily responsible for undertaking relief measures at the ground level in the wake of natural disasters. The Government of India supplements the efforts of the state governments by providing logistical and financial support. Financial relief in various sectors is provided under the guidelines of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), in accordance with the items and norms approved by the Government of India, said Rijiju.
The Central government has been extending full support to the Government of Assam by providing timely logistical and financial support to supplement the efforts of the State government to meet the situation effectively in the wake of natural disasters during 2017. The logistical support provided includes IAF helicopters, Army columns and National Disaster Response Force teams along with necessary machinery and equipment.
