Rs 511 crore aid approved to 3 states for drought, floods in 2012

NEW DELHI: The high-level panel on National Disaster Management, headed by Agriculture Minsister Sharad Pawar, today approved Rs 511 crore assistance to Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland for drought and floods in 2012.

"There were three proposals before High-level Committe (HLC) related to Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. Those have been approved," a senior Agriculture Ministry official told PTI.

A total sum of Rs 511 crore has been approved under the National Disaster Management Fund to these three states for facing drought and flood situation in 2012, he said.

Of this, Rs 320 crore would be released to Rajasthan, which faced severe drought last year. About Rs 147 crore will be given to Arunachal Pradesh and Rs 44 crore to Nagalandwhich witnessed floods last year, he added.

The drought-assistance to Rajasthan was last released in 2009-10 fiscal, when it had received Rs 515.05 crore.

For tackling drought in 2012, the HLC has already approved Rs 3039.31 crore for Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Kerala.

HLC also discussed the recently revised norms for providing input subsidy to farmers in the wake of crop failure due to natural disaster.

Besides Pawar, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde attended the meeting.