Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah on Friday approved the release of Rs 11,092 crores under the State Disaster Risk Management Fund (SDRMF) to all states to combat the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given assurance on April 2 during his video conference meeting with the chief ministers of all states.
The fund will be utilised for setting up quarantine facilities, sample collection and screening; setting up additional testing laboratories, cost of consumables; purchase of personal protection equipments for healthcare, municipal, police and fire authorities; purchase of thermal scanners, ventilators, air purifiers, and consumables for Government hospitals.
The central government has released in advance its share of the first installment of State Disaster Risk Management Fund for 2020-21 with a view to augment funds available with the state governments.
With a view to making available additional funds to the state Governments for taking preventive and mitigation measures for containment of COVID-19, the Centre on March 14 had already made a special dispensation for utilization of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
On March 28, the central government allowed the states government to use SDRF for providing food and shelter to homeless people including migrant labourers, who are stranded due to lockdown measures.
The Centre has been extending all necessary support to the states in a timely manner to deal with an unprecedented global crisis which has been declared as a “pandemic” by the World Health Organization (WHO).
India till 9 pm (IST) on Friday recorded a total of 2,547 cases and a death toll of 62.
Source: Zee News