Amit Shah-led high-level committee approves disaster mitigation projects

New Delhi: A high-level committee headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday approved several disaster mitigation and capacity building projects for various states that include combating urban flooding and checking glacial lake outburst floods.

The committee gave its nod to nine proposals for funding from National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).

Among the proposals approved include six projects in Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, West Bengal and Maharashtra at a total cost of Rs 2514.36 crore for urban floor management.

The six cities where the funds will be spent are Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Pune, according to an official statement.

The committee also considered a proposal to implement Yuva Aapda Mitra Scheme in all the 28 states.

Three project proposals were approved under the scheme for "Expansion and Modernization of Fire Services in the states" for Assam, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu of a total outlay of Rs 810.64 crore.

The central government has allocated a total amount of Rs 5000 crore under NDRF for this scheme, and had already approved the proposals of 11 states at a total outlay of Rs 1691.43 crore.

In addition, the committee also approved a project proposal for Glacial Lake Outburst Flood risk mitigation for the states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh at a total outlay of Rs 150 crore.

The Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Risk Mitigation Project will provide necessary impetus to these four states in taking necessary mitigation measures to address GLOF risks.

The committee also approved a proposal of Yuva Aapda Mitra Scheme (YAMS) at an outlay of Rs 470.50 crore from NDRF, which will be implemented in 315 most disaster-prone districts of the country for training of 1300 trained Aapda Mitra Volunteers as Master Trainers and 2.37 lakh volunteers exclusively from NCC, NSS, NYKS and BS&G (Bharat Scouts & Guides) in disaster preparedness and response.

Earlier, the committee on November 27, 2023, had approved the project proposal for integrated solutions for flood management for the state of Tamil Nadu in Chennai city at a cost of Rs 561.29 crore.

To fulfill Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of disaster resilient India, the Ministry of Home Affairs has taken several initiatives to ensure effective management of disasters in the country, the statement said.

A number of steps have been taken to prevent any extensive loss to life and property during disasters by strengthening disaster risk reduction system in India.

This is in line with the vision of the Prime Minister's of preparing the community as first responders during any disaster, the statement said.

Earlier, the government implemented "Aapda Mitra" scheme under which around 1 lakh community volunteers have been trained for disaster response in 350 most disaster-prone districts of the country.

These skilled and trained 'Aapda Mitras' and 'Aapda Sakhis' are playing an important role in assisting the local administration in responding to any disaster.

During the current financial year, the Centre has released Rs 6348 crore to 14 states under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and Rs 672 crore to six states under State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF).

In addition, an amount of Rs 4265 crore has been released to 10 states under NDRF.

The meeting was also attended by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog.