Amit Shah approves Rs 1,950 crore disaster relief for Karnataka and Maharashtra

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has approved an advance release of Rs 1,950.80 crore to Karnataka and Maharashtra under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for 2025-26, according to an official statement reported by IANS. The funds are aimed at supporting immediate relief efforts for people affected by heavy rainfall and flooding during this year’s south-west monsoon. Of the total approved amount, Rs 384.40 crore has been allocated to Karnataka and Rs 1,566.40 crore to Maharashtra. Officials said the Central assistance will help the two states provide prompt relief to affected families and restore damaged infrastructure in flood-hit districts.

Centre’s wider disaster relief allocation

According to the Home Ministry statement, the Central Government has so far released Rs 13,603.20 crore to 27 states under the SDRF and Rs 2,189.28 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to 15 states during the current financial year.

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In addition, Rs 4,571.30 crore has been released from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) to 21 states and Rs 372.09 crore from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) to nine states. These allocations are part of the government’s effort to strengthen disaster preparedness and mitigation capabilities at both national and state levels.

Maximum NDRF deployment this monsoon

Officials said that the Centre has provided extensive logistical support to states affected by floods, landslides and cloudbursts, including the deployment of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, Army units and Air Force assistance.

This year’s monsoon saw a record deployment of 199 NDRF teams across 30 states and Union Territories - the highest ever for a single season - highlighting the scale of operations undertaken to rescue and assist affected populations.

The committee also cleared Rs 903.67 crore for Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan under the NDRF for the Expansion and Modernisation of Fire Services. Out of this total, Rs 676.33 crore will be provided as Central assistance, including Rs 117.19 crore for Haryana, Rs 397.54 crore for Madhya Pradesh and Rs 388.94 crore for Rajasthan.