A high-level committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs has approved Rs 1,280.35 crore of additional central assistance to Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry, which were affected by floods, flash floods, cloudbursts, landslides and cyclonic storms last year.

The HLC approved central assistance of Rs 1,247.29 crore to three states from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), subject to an adjustment of 50% of the opening balance for the year available in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and Rs 33.06 crore to Puducherry.

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According to an official release, Rs 588.73 crore has been approved for Bihar, Rs 136.22 crore for Himachal Pradesh and Rs. 522.34 crore for Tamil Nadu.

This additional assistance is over and above the funds released by the Centre to the states in the SDRF and the Union Territorial Disaster Response Fund (UTDRF), already placed at the disposal of the States/UTs.

During the financial year 2024-25, the Central Government has released Rs. 20,264.40 crore to 28 states under SDRF and Rs. 5,160.76 crore under NDRF to 19 states.

Additionally, Rs. 4984.25 crore from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) to 19 states and Rs. 719.72 crore from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) to eight States have also been released.

The Centre had deputed Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) to these states, immediately after the calamities, without waiting for the receipt of a formal Memorandum.