'Centre gave SDRF grant, no special aid'

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Shimla, July 16

Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi today said that no help had been received from the Central government to handle the disaster that the state has been reeling under.

Rejecting Union Minister Anurag Thakur and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur’s claims that the Centre had released Rs 400 crore to handle the current disaster, Negi said no funds had been released by the Centre for the situation arising out of the current disaster. “Anurag Thakur, as a Union Minister, and Jai Ram Thakur, as a former Chief Minister, must know the facts and should not lie to the people of the state,” said Negi.

As for Rs 360 crore received by the state, the minister said that the amount was released annually by the Central government to the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF). “Every year Himachal gets its share of Rs 360 crore in the SDRF in two instalments in the months of June and December. The Centre has given both these instalments to the state government in July this year,” he said. “The second instalment has been released in lieu of the damages caused during the snowfall in December,” he added. He said Himachal’s outstanding funds of Rs 315 crore under the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) were pending with the Centre, which should be released at the earliest.

“There has been a huge loss of government and private property,” he said.