Centre Approves ₹2,514.36 Crore for Urban Flood Management Projects in 5 States.

A high-level committee (HLC) chaired by the Union Home Minister approved six proposals from five states—Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Maharashtra—on Thursday for urban flood management projects totaling ₹2,514.36 crore. These funds will be allocated for flood management initiatives in the metro cities of Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Pune. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced that, during its meeting on November 27, 2023, the HLC had already approved a project for integrated flood management solutions in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, at a cost of ₹561.29 crore.

The HLC, which includes the Finance Minister, Agriculture Minister, and the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, reviewed nine proposals for funding from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) and the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). These proposals aim to address urban flooding in six cities, mitigate Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) risks in four hill states, and strengthen fire services in three states.

The MHA reported that ₹150 crore has been allocated for GLOF risk mitigation in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. This initiative will support these states in implementing necessary measures to mitigate GLOF risks.

Additionally, the HLC approved the Yuva Aapda Mitra Scheme (YAMS) with a budget of ₹470.50 crore from the NDRF. This scheme will be implemented in 315 disaster-prone districts across the country and will train 1,300 Aapda Mitra Volunteers as Master Trainers and 2.37 lakh volunteers from NCC, NSS, NYKS, and Bharat Scouts & Guides (BS&G) in disaster preparedness and response.

The MHA emphasized that this initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of preparing communities to act as first responders during disasters. The government previously implemented the "Aapda Mitra" scheme, training approximately 1 lakh community volunteers in disaster response across 350 disaster-prone districts.

In the current financial year, the Centre has released ₹6,348 crore to 14 states under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and ₹672 crore to six states under the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF). Additionally, ₹4,265 crore has been distributed to 10 states under the NDRF.

HBL