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NDRF drought aid: central team ends Maharashtra survey; memorandum next

By CAShorts DeskPublished Sources: Hindustan Times; The Times of India; All India Radio (News on AIR)

NDRF drought aid: central team ends Maharashtra survey; memorandum next
Illustration (AI-generated)

The Centre's 11-member inter-ministerial central team finished a three-day survey of drought-hit Maharashtra on 10 October 2026 and met the Chief Minister on 11 October. The State, which has declared drought in 265 of its 358 talukas, has sought Rs 17,500 crore in an interim request and will file a detailed memorandum for National Disaster Response Fund help.

Syllabus: Prelims · Current Affairs & IR; GS2 · Federalism & Local Government; GS3 · Agriculture & Irrigation

Why it matters

A Marathwada farmer whose soybean and other kharif crops failed in a two-month break in rain cannot make up the loss with a rabi or summer crop when wells and tanks are dry. Crop relief is paid at per-hectare rates fixed by NDRF norms, and central help must first pass the central team, the inter-ministerial group and the High Level Committee. Maharashtra wants rates above the norms, and its final memorandum will add drinking water and employment, so its demand may grow. Speed matters: the Chief Minister says fodder stocks will last only 90-120 days. The case also shows how disaster finance is shared: relief is paid first from each State's own fund, and the Centre decides how much more to add.

Prelims pointers

  • National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF): Section 46, Disaster Management Act, 2005; managed by the Centre and held in the Public Account of India, not the Consolidated Fund of India.
  • State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF): Section 48 of the Act; a State's first fund for notified disasters such as drought and flood; sized on Finance Commission recommendations.
  • The NDRF supplements the SDRF when a disaster is of severe nature; it does not replace the State's own fund.
  • Inter-ministerial central team: officers of several Union ministries who assess disaster damage in a State on the spot; their report is the basis for NDRF help.
  • High Level Committee: chaired by the Union Home Minister; approves the amount of central assistance from the NDRF.
  • Nodal ministry: drought is handled by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; most other natural disasters by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
  • National Disaster Response Force: a specialised force under Section 44 of the same Act; it shares the short form NDRF with the fund.
  • National Disaster Management Authority is chaired by the Prime Minister; a State Disaster Management Authority by the Chief Minister.

Practise a UPSC-style question

With reference to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), consider the following statements:

1. The money in the fund is held in the Consolidated Fund of India.

2. It is constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 to supplement the State Disaster Response Funds in disasters of severe nature.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. (a) 1 only
  2. (b) 2 only
  3. (c) Both 1 and 2
  4. (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show the answer

Answer: (b) 2 only

1 is incorrect: the NDRF is kept in the Public Account of India, not in the Consolidated Fund of India. 2 is correct: Section 46 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 provides for the NDRF, which tops up a State's SDRF when a disaster is of severe nature.

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