Compensate Telangana farmers immediately for crop loss: Farm activists

Subject : Polity

Section: Disaster

Context

The farmers of Telangana have faced unprecedented crop losses in the wake of heavy rains and floods this month. The government should immediately compensate them, an independent farmers’ organisation based in the two Telugu states said July 23, 2022.

NDRF

It is defined in Section 46 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 (DM Act).
It is placed in the “Public Account”(Article 266(2)) of Government of India under “reserve funds not bearing interest”.
It is managed by the Central Government for meeting the expenses for emergency response, relief and rehabilitation due to any threatening disaster situation or disaster.
It supplements the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) in case of a disaster of severe nature, provided adequate funds are not available in the SDRF.
Financed through the levy of a cess on certain items, chargeable to excise and customs duty, and approved annually through the Finance Bill.
Currently, a National Calamity Contingent Duty (NCCD) is levied to finance the NDRF and additional budgetary support is provided as and when necessary.
Department of Agriculture and Cooperation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare monitors relief activities for calamities associated with drought, hailstorms, pest attacks and cold wave/frost while rest of the natural calamities are monitored by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audits the accounts of NDRF.
Centre has applied an unused provision in the Disaster Management Act, 2005 to allow any person or institution to contribute to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for the purpose of disaster management.

SDRF

SDRF has been constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
It is the primary fund available with the State governments for responses to notified disasters to meet expenditure for providing immediate relief.
The Centre contributes 75% of the SDRF allocation for general category States and Union Territories and 90% for special category States and Union Territories (northeastern States, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir).
The annual Central contribution is released in two equal installments as per the recommendation of the Finance Commission.
Disaster (s) covered under SDRF: Cyclone, drought, earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami, hailstorm, landslide, avalanche, cloudburst, pest attack, frost and cold waves.
A State Government may use up to 10% of the funds available under the SDRF for providing immediate relief to the victims of natural disasters that they consider to be ‘disasters’ within the local context in the State and which are not included in the notified list of disasters of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Assistance may be provided where crop loss is 33% and above, subject to a ceiling of 2 ha. per farmer.