Centre OKs over Rs 1K cr for disaster mgmt

new delhi: A high-level committee, headed by the Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah, has sanctioned Rs 1,115.67 crore for nationwide disaster mitigation and capacity-building projects. The committee, comprising the Finance Minister, Agriculture Minister and vice-chairman of the NITI Aayog, reviewed proposals to mitigate landslide risks in 15 states and enhance civil defence volunteer training nationwide.

The National Landslide Risk Mitigation Project has provisionally allocated Rs 1,000 crore to tackle landslide vulnerabilities across states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh have been allocated Rs 139 crore each, while eight Northeastern states have been sanctioned Rs 378 crore, while Rs 100 crore for Maharashtra, Rs 72 crore for Karnataka and Kerala and Rs 50 crore for Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

In addition, there has been a sanction of Rs 115.67 crore in training and capacity-building for civil defence volunteers all over the country and UTs, through NDRF.

Previously, it had sanctioned urban flood risk mitigation projects in seven cities with a total outlay of Rs 3,075.65 crore.