'No aid from Centre, don't lie': Himachal Pradesh revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi to ex-CM Jai Ram Thakur

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi has rebuffed Union minister Anurag Singh Thakur and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur's claims regarding financial assistance of Rs 400 crore by the Centre to the state during the present disaster.
He said that till now, no help has been received from the central government for the current disaster.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Negi said that Rs 360 crore was released annually by the central government to the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF), which was the quarterly share received by the state from the Central Budget.
He said that every year, Himachal Pradesh gets its share of Rs 360 crore in SDRF in the ratio of 90:10 in two instalments in the months of June and December.
He claimed that the central government has given both these instalments to the state government in the month of July this year.
The second instalment was released to the state in lieu of the damages caused during snowfall in December, which has been released earlier by the central government this time.
He added that Himachal's outstanding funds of Rs 315 crore under the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) were lying with the Central Government, which should be released at the earliest. "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," the minister said.