In order to aid Assam's rebuilding efforts after the state was devastated by floods and landslides in 2024, the Union government has authorized an additional Rs 313.69 crore in central assistance.
The High Level Committee (HLC), led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, made the decision on Tuesday.A total of Rs 707.97 crore was approved by the committee for Gujarat and Assam, with the latter receiving Rs 394.28 crore.
The sum approved for Assam would come from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), subject to a 50% adjustment of the initial balance in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for the year, according to an official release.
This most recent sanction is on top of the money that has already been disbursed to states via the SDRF.
The Center has distributed Rs 2,024.04 crore under the NDRF to 12 states and Rs 13,603.20 crore to 27 states under the SDRF during the current fiscal year 2025–2026.
Furthermore, 21 states have received Rs 4,571.30 crore from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF), while nine states have received Rs 372.09 crore from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF).
In situations where a disaster is of "severe nature" and state level funding is insufficient, the NDRF, which was created under Section 46 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, complements the SDRF.
In contrast to the 75:25 ratio that applies to other states, the central and state contributions to the SDRF for northeastern and Himalayan states, such as Assam, follow a 90:10 ratio.
The recommendations of succeeding Finance Commissions serve as the basis for the allocations under the SDRF and NDRF.
The same committee had previously approved Rs 1,270.78 crore for Assam's recovery and restoration efforts in response to the devastating floods and landslides that occurred in 2022 on October 2.
According to officials, the new wave of funding is anticipated to improve Assam's resilience to future natural disasters and hasten post flood rebuilding.
