In News
The State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), constituted under Section 48 (1)(a) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, is the primary fund available with State Governments for responses to notified disasters. The Central Government contributes 75% of SDRF allocation for general category States/ UTs and 90% for special category States/ UTs (NE States, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir).
More About SDRF
- The annual Central contribution is released in two equal installments as per the recommendation of the Finance Commission.
- SDRF shall be used only for meeting the expenditure for providing immediate relief to the victims.
- Disasters covered under SDRF: Cyclone, drought, earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami, hailstorm, landslide, avalanche, cloudburst, pest attack, frost and cold waves.
- A State Government may use up to 10% of the funds available under the SDRF for providing immediate relief to the victims of natural disasters that they consider to be ‘disasters’ within the local context in the State and which are not included in the notified list of disasters of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- The State Government should list the State specific natural disasters and notify clear and transparent norms and guidelines for such disasters with the approval of the State Authority, i.e., the State Executive Authority (SEC).
- States will constitute the State Executive Committee (SEC) as per section 20 of the Disaster Management, Act, 2005. The Chief Secretary to the State Government shall be the ex-officio Chairperson of the SEC.
- Functions of SEC:
. SEC will decide on all matters connected with the financing of the relief expenditure of immediate nature from SDRF
. SEC will arrange to obtain the contributions from the concerned Governments, administer the SDRF and invest the accretions to the SDRF in accordance with the norms approved by the Government of India from time to time
. The SEC shall ensure that the money drawn from the SDRF is actually utilised for the purposes for which the SDRF has been set up, expenditures are only on items of expenditure and as per norms and accounting procedures as mentioned in the Act.
- The norms for the amounts to be incurred on each approved item of expenditure will be fixed by the Ministry of Home Affairs with the concurrence of the Ministry of Finance.
- The provision for disaster preparedness, restoration, reconstruction and mitigation should not be a part of SDRF or NDRF. Such expenditure is needed to be built into the State Plan funds.
