Centre releases first instalment of Rs 8873.6 crore under State Disaster Response Fund to states

The finance ministry has fast-tracked the release of Rs 8,873 crore to the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF), according to a statement issued on Saturday.
Up to 50% of the SDRF amount, or Rs 4,437 crore, can be used by the states for Covid-19 containment measures, the statement said.

These include the cost of oxygen generation and storage plants in hospitals, ventilators, air purifiers, strengthening ambulance services, Covid-19 hospitals, Covid care centres, thermal scanners, personal protective equipment, testing laboratories, testing kits, and maintaining containment zones. The decision was taken on the recommendations of the home ministry.


“In relaxation of normal procedure, not only has the release of SDRF been advanced, the amount has also been released without waiting for the utilisation certificate of the amount provided to the states in the last financial year,” the finance ministry said.

The development comes about a month after the second wave began sweeping across states, leaving India’s healthcare infrastructure in complete shambles. Social media platforms such as Twitter and WhatsApp have been abound with pleas of people seeking everything from Covid-19 tests and medication to hospital beds and oxygen amid a severe shortage. The country continued to post record-high figures of daily cases, reaching 401,993 in the last 24 hours along with 3,523 daily new fatalities.

After being urged by the Allahabad High Court, Uttar Pradesh this week announced a three-day lockdown over the weekend beginning Friday while Delhi has been under an extended lockdown till May 3. Maharashtra decided to extend its lockdown by 15 days from April 30 as Karnataka imposed a twoweek lockdown from April 28.

The first instalment of central funds are normally released to the SDRF in June as per the recommendations of the Finance Commission.

Experts felt state finances were largely protected from the impact of the second wave on account of an additional Rs 45,000 crore released as tax devolution from the Centre at the end of March.