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Uttarakhand Flood Relief Package
What’s the News?
- Prime Minister announced an ₹1,200 crore aid package for Uttarakhand following floods, cloudbursts and landslides.
- He met affected families in Dehradun, reviewed damage and relief operations with state and central teams.
- Ex-gratia payments to be given: ₹2 lakh to next of kin of deceased; ₹50,000 to those severely injured.
Relief and Rehabilitation Measures
- Housing and Infrastructure:
- Rebuilding homes under PM Awas Yojana-Gramin through a "special project" for eligible households in rural areas.
- Restoration of national highways, reconstruction of schools, and distribution of mini-kits for livestock.
- Financial Support:
- ₹1,200 crore as interim assistance under the Disaster Management Act, with further assessment pending reports from inter-ministerial central teams.
- Advance disbursements to the state for immediate needs, with additional support likely based on the state’s memorandum (which seeks ₹5,702 crore for overall losses).
- Humanitarian Aid:
- Ex-gratia payments and long-term care for orphaned children via PM CARES.
- Praise for NDRF, SDRF, Army, and Aapda Mitra volunteers for rescue efforts.
Additional Info
- Disaster Management in India:
- The legal and institutional framework for disaster management is provided by the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
- The Act established the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), headed by the Prime Minister, to lay down policies, plans, and guidelines.
- The primary responsibility for disaster management lies with the state governments.
- Disaster Relief Funds:
- State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF): The primary fund for states to respond to notified disasters. The Central Government contributes 75% of the SDRF allocation for general category states and 90% for special category states, which include Uttarakhand.
- National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF): A fund under the Central Government for meeting the expenses for emergency response, relief, and rehabilitation in case of a disaster of severe nature. It is a corpus fund and is not subject to annual budgetary allocation.
- Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF): Established in 1948, this fund is based on public contributions and provides immediate relief to victims of natural calamities and other major incidents. Contributions to PMNRF are eligible for a 100% tax deduction under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
- PM CARES for Children Scheme:
- A scheme launched in 2021 to support children who lost their parents or legal guardians to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- It provides a fixed deposit in the child’s name, a monthly stipend upon reaching 18 years of age, and a lump sum of ₹10 lakh at age 23.
- The recent announcement extends the benefits of this scheme to children orphaned by the Uttarakhand floods.