New Delhi, March 23 Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Lok Sabha on Monday that approval for central grants is one thing, and applying for the amount by the states is another. She cited the example of Kerala, which did not avail of Rs 311.95 crore as part of the national disaster mitigation fund.
The minister was responding to supplementary questions during the Question Hour on the pending grants and amounts from the central government towards Kerala.
Sitharaman, who is in charge of the finance and corporate affairs ministries, said that a state must provide a utilization certificate so that the next round of funds can be released.
For example, she said that there was a specific case related to Kerala, where despite the allocation, the Kerala government has not even drawn the amount.
An amount of Rs 311.95 was approved for the National Disaster Mitigation Fund, including Rs 72 crore for a risk mitigation project in the landslide-affected areas of Wayanad.
Another Rs 17.73 crore was approved for a forest fire mitigation programme, which is unrelated to the Wayanad disaster, and Rs 222.22 crore was approved under the second phase of the urban flood risk management programme for the city of Thiruvananthapuram.
"For the Rs 311.95 crore that has been approved, zero has been released. I will only release the funds when the state applies for them, requests them, and provides a specific justification," Sitharaman said.
The Centre and the Kerala government have differing views on the financial aid provided for the Wayanad disaster management. Kerala is scheduled to hold Assembly elections next month.
Meanwhile, the House also paid tributes to Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru, and Sukhdev, who were hanged on March 23, 1931.
As a mark of respect for the departed souls, the Speaker and the members also stood in silence for a brief period.