Nagaland gets INR 40 cr. under modernisation of fire service
Nagaland gets INR 40 cr. under modernisation of fire services scheme
The Ministry of Home Affairs has allocated a total budget of INR 40.05 crore for Nagaland state under the ‘Scheme for Expansion and Modernisation of Fire Services in the States’
KOHIMA — The
Ministry of Home Affairs has allocated a total budget of INR 40.05 crore for
Nagaland state under the ‘Scheme for Expansion and Modernisation of Fire
Services in the States’ and an amount of INR 10.81 crore has been released as first
instalment till date.
This was informed by the Minister of State for Home Affairs,
Nityanand Rai, to a starred question by Brijendra Singh Ola in the Loka Sabha
on Tuesday.
The minister updated that proposals to expand fire services
of 20 states, including Nagaland, have been approved till date by the Ministry
of Home Affairs for financial assistance under the scheme.
Out of the twenty states, a total amount of INR 757.39 crore
has already been released to 18 states as first instalment towards implementation
of the projects.
Under the scheme, Rai said the state governments from the
north-eastern and Himalayan states have to contribute 10% and the other states
25% of the total cost of projects or proposals from their respective states’
resources.
The minister maintained that it is the primary
responsibility of the state governments to ensure strengthening of fire and
emergency services in areas under their respective jurisdiction.
The expansion and modernisation of fire-fighting schemes and
implementation of any action plan to reduce disaster risks fall under the
exclusive jurisdiction of the states, and the central government has only an
advisory role in respect of fire services, he added.
He also mentioned that recognising the need for expansion
and modernisation of fire services in the states, the 15th Finance Commission
recommended a provision of INR 5000 crore for expansion and modernisation of
the fire services at the state level.
The central government launched “Scheme for Expansion and
Modernisation of Fire Services in the States” on July 4, 2023, from the
Preparedness and Capacity Building Funding Window under the National Disaster
Response Fund (NDRF) for strengthening fire services in the states with a total
central outlay of INR 5,000 crore, he stated.
Highlighting some of the activities permitted to the states
to undertake to strengthen the fire services in their respective states, Rai
mentioned that 35% of the fund has been allocated for expansion of fire
services by setting up of new fire stations and strengthening of state training
centres and capacity building of the fire-fighters, volunteers and community in
fire prevention measures, awareness programmes, while 5% of the fund has been
allocated for capacity building.
He went on to mention that 50% of the fund has been
allocated for modernisation of fire services by procuring modern fire-fighting
equipment and strengthening of state headquarters and urban fire stations.
The equipment to be purchased include hydraulic platform and
turntable ladders, among others, as given in the indicative list circulated to
the states along with the scheme guidelines, he added.
Further, he informed that 15% of the fund has been allocated
for state-specific demand. Out of the total allocated fund of INR 5000 crore
under the scheme, an amount of INR 500 crore has also been kept for
incentivising the states on the basis of their legal and infrastructure-based
reforms.
