Lightning safety and forest fire mitigation projects get central nod

SHILLONG, Jan 29: A High-Level Committee (HLC), chaired by Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah, has approved a Mitigation Project on Lightning Safety for 10 states, including Meghalaya, with a total outlay of Rs 186.78 crore. The other states covered under the project include Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Additionally, the union home minister has approved the Mitigation Scheme for Forest Fire Risk Management, which will be implemented in 144 high-priority districts across 19 states, including Meghalaya.
The scheme has a total outlay of Rs 818.92 crore, with Rs 690.63 crore being the central share from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) and the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
The primary objective of the scheme is to transform forest fire management across the country by strengthening and supporting essential forest fire prevention and mitigation activities.
Meghalaya, along with the other states, will submit proposals outlining necessary actions for mitigating forest fires, preparedness for fire response, and post-fire assessment and recovery.
Furthermore, more than Rs 24,981 crore has been released to various states during the current financial year. This includes Rs 17,479.60 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to 27 states, Rs 4,808.30 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to 18 states, Rs 1,973.55 crore from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) to 13 states, and Rs 719.72 crore from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) to eight states.