Kerala did not apply for Rs 311.95 cr national disaster mitigation fund: FM in Lok Sabha
The minister was responding to attachments on pending grants and amounts from the central government to Kerala during Question Hour.
Sitharaman, who is in-charge of the finance and corporate affairs ministries, said a state must provide the utilization certificate before the next round of funds can be released.
For example, he said, there was a specific case of Kerala where despite the allocation, the Kerala government did not even withdraw the amount.
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An amount of Rs 311.95 crore for the National Disaster Mitigation Fund, which includes Rs 72 crore for risk reduction project in landslide affected areas of Wayanad.
Another Rs 17.73 billion has been approved for forest fire mitigation programme, unrelated to the Wayanad disaster, and Rs 222.22 billion has been approved under the second phase of urban flood risk management program for Thiruvananthapuram city, he said. “For the approved Rs 311.95 crore, the amount released is zero. I will release it only when the government applies for it, wants it, makes a proposal for it. So Approving is one thing, applying and seeking is another,” said Sitharaman.
The Center and the Kerala government have issues with the financial assistance given for Wayanad disaster management. Kerala is gearing up for Assembly elections next month.
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Meanwhile, the House also paid tribute to Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru and Sukhdev, who were hanged by the British on March 23, 1931.
As a sign of respect for the souls of those who passed away, the Speaker and members of the Assembly remained silent for a short time.
