MHA releases Rs 11,092 crore under state disaster risk management fund to states to combat COVID-19

Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah on Friday approved the release of Rs 11,092 crores under the State Disaster Risk Management Fund (SDRMF) to all states to combat the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given assurance on April 2 during his video conference meeting with the chief ministers of all states.

The fund will be utilised for setting up quarantine facilities, sample collection and screening; setting up additional testing laboratories, cost of consumables; purchase of personal protection equipments for healthcare, municipal, police and fire authorities; purchase of thermal scanners, ventilators, air purifiers, and consumables for Government hospitals. 

India till 9 pm (IST) on Friday recorded a total of 2,547 cases and a death toll of 62.

The central government has released in advance its share of the first installment of State Disaster Risk Management Fund for 2020-21 with a view to augment funds available with the state governments.

With a view to making available additional funds to the state Governments for taking preventive and mitigation measures for containment of COVID-19, the Centre on March 14 had already made a special dispensation for utilization of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). 

On March 28, the central government allowed the states government to use SDRF for providing food and shelter to homeless people including migrant labourers, who are stranded due to lockdown measures.

The Centre has been extending all necessary support to the states in a timely manner to deal with an unprecedented global crisis which has been declared as a “pandemic” by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 2 had outlined that the common goal for the country is to ensure minimum loss of life from the deadly coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Interacting with the chief ministers of all the states via video conferencing to discuss measures to combat COVID-19, PM Modi had asserted that in the next few weeks, testing, tracing, isolation and quarantine should remain the areas of focus.

He had highlighted the necessity of maintaining the supply of essential medical products, availability of raw material for the manufacture of medicines and medical equipment. The PM had said it is necessary to ensure the availability of separate, dedicated hospital facilities for COVID-19 patients. To increase the availability of doctors, he had asked the states to tap into the resource pool of AYUSH doctors, organize online training and utilize para-medical staff, NCC and NSS volunteers.

The PM had thanked the CMs for their suggestions and also for apprising about the situation on the ground, adding that it is imperative to work on a war footing, identify hotspots of the virus, encircle them and ensure that the virus doesn't spread out. He had also appealed to the leaders to reach out to community leaders and social welfare organizations at the state, district, town and block levels to build up a united front based on community-approach in the battle against the pandemic.