Kerala yet to get additional flood assistance from NDRF: CM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government on Wednesday said it was yet to receive additional assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to address the massive destruction caused by floods and landslides, which played havoc in the southern state last year.


The state had submitted a memorandum seeking Rs 2101.88 crore additional aid as per the NDRF criteria, the chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the state assembly on Wednesday.

The Centre had last month asked the state government to submit the calamity-wise expenditure for the financial year 2019-2020 for the consideration of the Memorandum submitted by the state and it was done, he said.

Replying to a submission by James Mathew (CPM), the chief minister also said the union government had only allocated Rs 5227.50 crore, as the initial instalment of the NDRF share during the 2019-20 financial year.

The memorandum seeking additional assistance, prepared by the state relief commissioner meeting all the criteria, was submitted to the 7-member Central team when they visited the state to take a stock of the destructions, he said.

The state also requested the team to give special consideration for the Memorandum as it was for the first time in the last 68 years that Kerala had suffered widespread destruction in consecutive years due to extreme rainfall, he said.

"But, the emergency financial aid is yet to be granted from the NDRF," the chief minister added.