Centre releases Rs 17,287 cr to states to fight Covid-19

New Delhi: The Centre on Friday released Rs 17,287.08 crore to different states to enhance their financial resources to deal with the various challenges in the country’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
This follows assurance given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to chief ministers in a videoconference on Thursday. The grant includes Rs 6,195.08 crore on account of ‘revenue deficit grant’ under 15th Finance Commission recommendations to 14 states, and Rs 11,092 crore in advance under the State Disaster Risk Management Fund (SDRF) to states to set up quarantine facilities, the home affairs ministry said in a statement.

The Centre released advance payments of over Rs 1,276 crore to Kerala, followed by over Rs 952 crore to Himachal and over Rs 638 crore to Punjab. Assam received Rs 631 crore, Andhra Pradesh Rs 491 crore, Uttarakhand Rs 423 crore, and West Bengal got Rs 417 crore.

The central government had on March 14 already made a special dispensation for utilisation of SDRF to help state governments take preventive and mitigation measures for containment of the Covid-19.

The fund was allowed to be utilised for setting up quarantine facilities, sample collection and screening, setting up additional testing laboratories, to cover cost of consumables, and purchase of personal protection equipment (PPE) for healthcare, municipal, police and fire authorities, besides purchase of thermal scanners, ventilators, air purifiers, and consumables for government hospitals.

The fund could also be used for providing food and shelter to the homeless, including migrant labourers stranded due to lockdown measures.