The Health Ministry of India announced on Friday that it would be allocating an additional grant of Rs 18.71 crores under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), towards the flood relief efforts in Kerala, where over 3,000 medical relief camps have been set up.
A number of people have been displaced due to the floods, which affected 14 districts in the state of Kerala.
Earlier on August 19, Health Minister J P Nadda spoke to media and said that full support would be given to relief efforts in the state. The ministry previously sent to Kerala a number of medications, including antibiotics, and was reportedly coordinating with other states to provide medicines to the relief camps.
Health Ministry approves additional grant of Rs.18.71 crore under #NHM to #Kerala for disbursing to Village Health, Sanitation & Nutrition Committees for #KeralaFloodRelief, as per State request. #SwasthaBharat@JPNadda
— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) August 24, 2018
This announcement comes amidst the allegations that the United Arab Emirates offered Rs 700 crores towards Kerala relief fund and that the Centre declined the foreign aid, citing it was against the policy of Government of India.
A number of individuals have come forward from all around the world to donate generously to the cause, with two Chicago-based Malayalis even crowdfunding over 1 million USD towards the relief efforts.
The ministry’s latest allocation of Rs 18.71 crore will be utilised for ‘village health, sanitation and nutrition committees’, per official reports.
Additional chief secretary Rajeev Sadanand had earlier told TNM that efforts were on to set up PHC-level care centres in affected areas. “We are expecting to see many people presenting with water-borne diseases and diarrheal diseases and are trying to establish as many primary health care facilities as possible in a short time period, to address these issues.”
He further noted that the funds from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and the money allocated from the Centre would be put to use in this manner.
The Centre had earlier released Rs 600 crore towards flood relief measures in Kerala.