NEW DELHI: The Centre has approved projects worth Rs 725.62 crore for the modernisation and expansion of fire services in three states: West Bengal, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. The approval came from a high-level committee chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The committee has sanctioned Rs 376.76 crore for West Bengal, Rs 201.10 crore for Odisha, and Rs 147.76 crore for Chhattisgarh.

The committee, which also includes Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman K. Bery, is focused on enhancing disaster preparedness. This move is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to build a disaster-resilient India, guided by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

As part of these efforts, the government has made a substantial allocation of Rs 5,000 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for the improvement of fire services across the country. So far, proposals from 15 states, totaling Rs 2,542.12 crore, have been approved.

In addition to the fire service initiatives, over Rs 21,026 crore has been released this year to support disaster management efforts. This includes funding from various disaster-related funds, such as Rs 14,878.40 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to 26 states and Rs 4,637.66 crore from the NDRF to 15 states.

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