Centre grants Rs 190 cr to WB
The Centre has sanctioned Rs 190 crore to the West Bengal government for disaster management in the state.
By TNN |
KOLKATA: The Centre has sanctioned Rs 190 crore to the West Bengal government for disaster management in the state. A high-level meeting was held at the Writers’ Buildings on Wednesday to set up a committee to focus on disaster management.
The funds came at a time when West Bengal minister for relief Dr Murtaza Hossain is touring two north Bengal districts of Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri which had been declared as drought-hit by the state government on Monday.
West Bengal chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb, agriculture secretary Atanu Purakayastha and other senior state government officials attended the meeting to explore ways to utilise the central funds.
Dr Hossain, when contacted at Cooch Behar, told ET on Wednesday that he had been busy assessing the possible financial loss the farmers would suffer due to drought in the district.
“I have been informed by senior government officials about the central government’s decision to sanction Rs 190 crore to West Bengal. I will be in Kolkata on Thursday and talk to my departmental officials about the funding,” Dr Hossain said.
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The West Bengal government has asked the district administration of Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri to assess the possible financial loss to farmers due to prolonged drought in the two districts. “I have instructed the district authorities to try and assess the possible loss in every mouza in both districts so that the government can handle the situation effectively,” Mr Purakayastha said.The relief minister Dr Hossain is also supposed to submit a preliminary report on the possible financial loss in the two districts to the state government on his return to Kolkata.
It is learnt that the department of agriculture and cooperation (DAC), under the Union ministry of agriculture, is planning to revamp the disaster management network in the country. For this, the DAC has sought views from all the state governments.
The DAC is the nodal department at the Centre for all matters concerning natural disaster relief. The National Contingency Action Plan (NCAP) facilitates launching of relief and rescue operations anywhere in the country in case of any disaster.
The Union government has set up a calamity relief fund (CRF) for each state and all state governments can get financial relief from the CRF. Moreover, another National Fund for Calamity Relief has also been set up to speed up the job of relief and rescue anywhere in the country in case of any natural calamity.
The Union government has framed the Disaster Management Act in 2005. The bill passed by the Parliament got the President’s consent on December 23, 2005.
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