Centre issues revised norms for disaster relief

NEW DELHI: The Centre has decided to allow 10 per cent of the calamity relief funds given to state governments for dealing with local disasters.

While simplifying the procedure in granting funds to the state governments under the National Disaster Relief Fund, the Home Ministry also said that 10 per cent allocation under the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) could be spent on equipment.

A maximum of 5 per cent of SDRF allocation can be spent on capacity building, an official release said.

The Ministry has issued orders on revision of the items and norms, in respect of the centrally notified disasters like floods, cyclones, drought, hailstorm, tsunami, earthquake etc.

"The state governments can also use up to 10 per cent of their SDRF allocation on 'local disasters', for which the state executive committees have to work out the modalities and criteria," the release said.

The central government has also simplified the procedure for adjustment of available balances under SDRF, while releasing assistance from the NDRF in case of severe disasters.

The government has also enabled automatic annual updation of the norms by referencing with the movement of wholesale price index.

The revised orders include various aspects of response and preparedness like ex-gratia to the next of kin of persons who may lose their lives, ex-gratia in cases of persons suffering severe disability, gratuitous relief for families whose livelihoods may seriously be affected due to disasters, agricultural input subsidy to farmers, replacement of different categories of animals, procurement of search, rescue, evacuation and communication equipment, the release said.