Srinagar, Mar 31 (KNO): The Jammu & Kashmir government on Tuesday said that financial assistance provided to families affected by fire incidents and natural calamities is regulated under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) norms, and any enhancement in relief amounts is decided by the Government of India.
Replying to a starred Assembly Question No. 675 tabled by MLA Payare Lal Sharma regarding the adequacy of Rs 1.35 lakh relief, the government, as reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said the assistance is governed by revised norms issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) under Disaster Management guidelines.
As per the existing norms, the government said assistance for fully damaged houses stands at Rs 1.20 lakh per pucca house in plain areas and Rs 1.30 lakh per kutcha house in hilly areas.
The reply stated that any revision or enhancement in SDRF/NDRF assistance is subject to periodic review by the Government of India, and therefore, no fixed timeline for increasing the relief amount can be indicated at this stage.
The government maintained that the UT follows centrally prescribed norms for providing relief and rehabilitation assistance to disaster-affected families—(KNO)