Kerala is finally all set to receive Rs 3048.39 crore - the aid promised to the state by the Centre for relief and rehabilitation post the deluge. The amount will be given by the National Disaster Relief Fund to help rebuild the state that was battered by the August floods.
The decision to release the amount was taken on Thursday during a high-level meeting chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The high-level committee included Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and senior officers of the three ministries.
In September, a month after the floods, Kerala had submitted a memorandum to the Centre seeking Rs 4,800 crore for relief work. The memorandum included all the details about the loss of human life, property, infrastructure and damage to crops. Responding to this, a committee headed by the Union Home Secretary had cleared Rs 3,100 crore. The Rs 600 crore that was announced as an advance earlier was included in this amount.
As per the existing guidelines, the Centre usually sends an inter-ministerial Central team to assess damages on the field and additional requirement of funds for rebuilding. A report is then prepared by the team which is sent to the Sub-Committee of National Executive Committee (SC-NEC), headed by the Union Home Secretary. This is then discussed at a high level meeting headed by the Union Home Minister.
The Kerala government will need to pay the Indian Air Force Rs 290 crore for providing foodgrains and offering rescue services during the floods.
Kerala faced the worst floods of the century in August 2018 with the state suffering loss of property and infrastructure of several thousand crore. Apart from Kerala, the high level committee has also approved Rs 539.52 crore to cyclone-hit Andhra Pradesh and Rs 131. 16 crore to Nagaland, which also experienced floods this year.