The Centre has released an amount of________- to 22 state governments under the State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF).

Solution

The Centre has released an amount of Rs 7,532 crore to 22 state governments under the State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF).  The SDRF has been constituted in each State under Section 48 (1)(a) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The fund is the primary fund available with state governments for responses to notified disasters. The central government contributes 75 per cent to the SDRF in general states and 90 per cent in North-East and Himalayan states.  The annual central contribution is released in two equal installments based on the recommendation of the Finance Commission.    The SDRF is to be used only for meeting the expenditure for providing immediate relief to the victims of notified calamities like cyclones, droughts, earthquakes, fire, floods, tsunamis, hailstorms, landslides, avalanches, cloud bursts, pest attacks and frost and cold wave, the ministry said.  Allocation of SDRF funds to the states is based on multiple factors like past expenditure, area, population, and disaster risk index.  These factors reflect states' institutional capacity, risk exposure, and hazard and vulnerability.