The Ministry of Home Affairs has warned that Kerala may miss out on the Centre’s share of the Disaster Mitigation Fund, worth Rs 62.80 crore, as the state has yet to furnish the necessary utilization certificate. The allocation of state disaster management funds, including the state’s share, is Rs 83.80 crore. In a letter addressed to the state chief secretary, Additional Secretary to the Home Department, Hitesh Kumar Makwana, stated that ‘the state government has not shared requisite information/utilization certificate for the release of central share of State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) for the year 2022-23 so far.’ The Centre’s share due this year will only be released upon fulfilling the condition of the guidelines.
As per guidelines, state governments must provide utilization certificates to the Minister of Finance and the Home Ministry every April and October, including statements of up-to-date expenditures and the available balance amounts. The fund is to be utilized only for mitigation activities not covered under any existing plan schemes, and relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction are not included in the mitigation fund. A government release dated March 15, 2023, stated that the Centre’s share of up to Rs 1,345.80 crore has been released to various states, with Maharashtra receiving Rs 644.40 crore and Uttar Pradesh receiving Rs 386.60 crore.
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