Centre rejects Assam’s plea to hike aid under SDRF

Guwahati: The Centre has rejected the proposal of ssam government for enhancement of financial assistance  under State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) for the flood-affected families of Assam.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, in his letter to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on September 24, 2014, had requested the Union Ministry to enhance financial assistance under State Disaster Relief Fund  (SDRF) for the flood-affected families of Assam as the current rates of financial assistance are too less.
In his letter, the chief minister highlighted the fact that in Assam the people of flood affected  villages mostly have kutcha houses which get easily damaged during floods.
The financial assistance provided under SDRF is essential for reconstruction of these houses damaged by  natural calamities. However, the costs of these materials have been increasing and the financial assistance fixed by Ministry of Home Affairs for damaged kutcha houses is inadequate.
In view of this, he had proposed enhancement of financial assistance under SDRF to the affected families for repairing their houses at Rs 35000/- per house for fully damaged kutcha houses; Rs 20,000/- per house for severely damaged pucca houses; Rs 10,000 per house for severely damaged kutcha houses and Rs 5000/- for partially damaged pucca/kutcha houses.
However, the Union Ministry has declined Chief Minister Gogoi’s proposal for increasing the rate of financial assistance to the damaged houses under SDRF for people reeling under floods in Assam and has stuck to old rates of financial assistance.
The MOS for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, in his letter dated 29th Dec, 2014, has stated that the norms for assistance to the housing sector under SDRF were already enhanced and that the existing norms of SDRF inter alia provide for the assistance for repair of damaged houses at Rs 17,600/- per house for fully damaged kutcha house; Rs 12,600/- per house for severely damaged pucca house; at Rs 3,800/- per house for partially damaged pucca house and Rs at 2300 per kutcha house etc.