The state government did not receive any funds from the Centre which it sought against natural disasters in the last two years, the Gujarat Assembly was informed Tuesday. In response to a starred question by senior Congress MLA Arjun Modhwadia, the state government revealed that it demanded Rs 152.99 crore during the 2022 monsoon season. Last year, after Cyclone Biparjoy, funds worth Rs 700.42 crore were demanded by the state government from the Central government in a letter dated July 12, 2023. While the heavy rain assistance was not granted “as the request was rejected by the Central government, for the cyclone since sufficient balance was available in the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) as of December 31, 2023, no money was allocated”, the House was informed. However, the Central government on December 12, 2023, announced that it had approved the financial assistance of Rs 338.24 crore to Gujarat, which was severely affected by Cyclone Biparjoy. The Central government had also declared to have earlier released the first installment of its share, amounting to Rs 584 crore to the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
