NEW DELHI: The Centre has decided to revise the norms of Central assistance for calamity relief from the National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF) and Calamity Relief Fund (CRF).

A high-level committee chaired by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Monday approved the proposal to raise the relief from NCCF and CRF by 35 per cent.

The hike is linked to the Consumer Price Index. Consequently, an ex-gratia payment of Rs. 50,000 to the next of kin of a person killed in a natural calamity like an earthquake or cyclone would now be raised by 35 per cent to Rs. 67,500.

Rising costs

An Expert Group constituted by the Home Ministry in 2005 headed by Joint Secretary Disaster Management with representatives from the Union Finance, Agriculture, Rural Development and Home Ministries and the Planning Commission and 11 States had recommended that revision in norms should take into account the rising costs.

Consequently the meeting on Monday, which was attended among others by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, cleared raising the assistance by 35 per cent for all categories of assistance.

This would include Central assistance for loss of limb, grievous injury and relief for old people, the infirm and destitute children. It would also include assistance for clothing, shelter, nutrition, animal husbandry, feed, fodder and medical relief.

The 35 per cent hike in relief amount would also cover assistance in agriculture crops, input subsidy and for employment generation schemes. The meeting also decided on financial assistance to Himachal Pradesh for heavy rains last year. It cleared drought aid to Andhra Pradesh and release of one lakh tonnes of wheat to Rajasthan towards part payment of wages to labourers employed in drought relief.

The High-Level Committee meets every two months to consider Central assistance from NCCF and CRF.

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