Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government Friday suggested the Centre for amendments in the norms for giving assistance under National Disaster Response Fund( NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to increase the ex-gratia payments to the kin of victims of natural calamities.
The state special relief commissioner(SRC), B P Sethi, has written to the joint secretary, disaster management, in the ministry of home affairs (MHA) seeking an amendments in the NDRF and SDRF for the purpose.
Sethi urged the Centre to increase the ex-gratia in case of loss of limb or eyes to Rs three lakh per person for those with disability of more than 60% from the present Rs 2 lakh and Rs 1 lakh for those with disability between 40 per cent and 60 per cent from Rs 59,100.
The ex-gratia is given subject to certification by a doctor from a government hospital or dispensary regarding extent and cause of disability.
Odisha has also urged for increase of ex-gratia to Rs 20,000 per person for hospitalisation for more than one week and Rs 7,000 for hospitalisation up to one week. The existing norms of assistance allows the government to pay Rs 12,700 per person requiring hospitalisation for more than a week and Rs 4,300 per person requiring hospitalisation for less than a week.
The government pays Rs 1800 per family for loss of clothing and Rs 2000 per family for loss of utensils/ household goods lost in the calamities. Sethi has urged the Centre to increase the amount to Rs 5,000 to be paid together and such assistance may be extended to families whose houses are severely damaged.
The SRC has suggested the Centre to increase the input subsidy given in crop loss of 33 per cent and above to Rs 10,000 per hectre in case of rainfed areas from Rs 6800 now subject to a minimum assistance of Rs 2000 per farmer. He suggested Rs 20,000 per hectre from the present Rs 13500 in case of assured irrigated area subject to a minimum assistance of Rs 4000 per farmer instead of Rs 1000 now.
