Union Minister Kishan Reddy asks Telangana to use SDRF funds for relief works

The Minister said, the previous government failed to submit utilisation certificates for the funds released by the centre for natural disaster relief works, hence the centre had not released the SDRF amount to the State in the current financial year

Hyderabad: Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy has advised the State government to utilise State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) funds for taking up relief works in the rain affected districts.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Kishan Reddy claimed that the State government had Rs.1045 crore SDRF funds with it which could be utilised to take up relief works. “The State does not need to wait for the central assistance. It can use the SDRF funds available with it for taking up relief works,”he said.

---

According to him, the previous government failed to submit utilisation certificates for the funds released by the centre for natural disaster relief works, hence the centre had not released the SDRF amount to the State in the current financial year.

“The Centre released the SDRF funds in June. But since the State has not submitted the utilisation certificates, the centre has not released the fund. I spoke to the union Home secretary and urged him to release the SDRF funds as there is an emergency situation in the State,”he said.

The union Minister said the centre would provide Rs. 3 lakh to the family members of persons who have lost their lives due to floods. As per the new guidelines, even people could get Rs. 16,000 for medical treatment, Rs. 37,500 in the case of losing cattle, Rs. 32,000 for damages caused to business establishments and Rs. 18,000 per acre for crop loss, he informed.

The State government should utilise the SDRF funds to take up relief works and if needed the centre would release funds, he said. “If the centre declares the damages caused due to rains as a national disaster then more funds will be released. Till then the State should use SDRF funds,”he advised.