On Thursday, a High-Level Committee (HLC) under the Chairmanship of the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, approved additional Central assistance under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to two states affected by drought from 2021 to 22.
The HLC approved additional central assistance of Rs. 1,043.23 crore to two States from the NDRF:
Rs 1,003.95 crore to Rajasthan;
Rs 39.28 crore to Nagaland
This additional assistance is over and above the funds released by the Centre to the States in the State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF), already placed at the disposal of the States. During Financial Year 2021-22. the Central Government has released Rs. 17,747.20 crore to 28 States in their SDRF and Rs.7,342.30 crore to 11 States from the NDRF.
A senior scientist at Indian Metrological Department, Regional Centre Guwahati, Sunit Das, told in a report that seven of Nagaland’s 12 districts had ‘deficient’ rainfall: Dimapur (50 per cent below average), Longleng (35 per cent below average), Kohima (39 per cent below average), Phek (26 per cent below average), Tuensang (37 per cent below average) and Wokha (21 per cent below average), according to IMD data.
The other five — Kiphire (1 per cent above normal), Mon (8 per cent lower than usual), Mokokchung (9 per cent lower), Peren (8 per cent lower), and Zunheboto (18 per cent lower) had ‘normal’ rainfall.
He said that the state received 611 millimetres (mm) of rainfall against the normal precipitation of 806.5 mm. The entire northeastern region of the country has not seen a good spell of rains this monsoon season.
