Centre Clears Over Rs 7,200 Crore Share Of SDRF, Fund To Provide Relief To Covid Victims

Shah has approved the release of the second installment of the central share of the SDRF amounting to Rs 7,274.40 crore, in advance, to 23 states, the statement by the Home Ministry said.

New Delhi: The Centre has approved the release of the second installment of its share of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) amounting to Rs 7,274.40 crore, in advance, to 23 states.

A decision which has been taken by Union Home Minister Amit Shah as part of the Modi government's initiative to facilitate state governments to have enough funds in their SDRF to deal with any emergency arising out of any disaster.

According to a PTI report, in a statement issued by the Home Ministry, five states have already been released in advance the second installment amounting to Rs 1,599.20 crore.

Earlier in September, the Supreme Court had ordered amendments in compensation for Covid-19 victims after which the Central government informed the apex court the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has recommended that Rs 50,000 be given to the kin of those who died due to Covid-19.

This enabling provision in the SDRF norms has been made so as to implement the guidelines issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on September 11 in compliance with the order passed by the Supreme Court on June 30. The apex court had in its June 30 order said the Centre was required to pay ex-gratia compensation for Covid-19 deaths since Covid-19 was declared a notified disaster under the 2005 Act.

The state governments will now have an amount of Rs 23,186.40 crore in their SDRF, including state's share, during the financial year 2021-22, in addition to the amount of opening balance available in their SDRF, to meet the expenses for granting ex-gratia to the next of kin of the deceased due to Covid and for providing relief on other notified calamities, it said.