More than Rs 700 crore approved for upscaling fire services in 3 states

NEW DELHI: To further strengthen the country’s disaster-resilience system, a high-level committee (HLC), under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah, has approved three important projects under the scheme “Expansion and Modernisation of Fire Services in the States.”

The total scheme outlay is Rs 725.62 crore, and the projects will improve fire services in Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal. The committee has approved Rs 147.76 crore for Chhattisgarh, Rs 201.10 crore for Odisha and Rs 376.76 crore towards West Bengal.

Sanctions of Rs 5,000 crore have been approved by the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) directly to undertake the modernisation of fire services across the country. Approved proposals amounting to Rs 2,542.12 crore from 15 states already speak to proactive government initiatives in strengthening state response to disasters.

Being part of the overarching policy on disaster management, over Rs 21,026 crore has already been released this year to various states. It encompasses an amount of Rs 14,878.40 crore for the states from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).