₹556.37 cr. has reached the fund for this purpose
A sum of ₹556.37 crore has reached the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) exclusively for COVID-19 relief work from the public so far and ₹730.22 crore has been allocated from the CMDRF for the purpose.
Of the ₹556.37 crore received from March 27, 2020 from the public to the CMDRF, ₹45.05 crore was through electronic mode till 12 noon on May 18, 2021 and ₹511.32 crore through other modes of bank transactions till December 31, 2020.
The highest allocation of ₹450 crore in two tranches of ₹350 crore and ₹100 crore was used for distribution of food grain and provision kits to ration card holders through the Civil Supplies Department and Supplyco. A sum of ₹147.82 crore was used for providing financial assistance to those in the BPL and AAY categories.
The CMDRF also came in handy for providing financial assistance of ₹83.5 crore through NoRKA for Non-Resident Keralites who had to return to the State due to the pandemic. Kashmiri families in the State who were undertaking various businesses were given ₹5 lakh during the lockdown.
The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation was given ₹5 crore to offset the loss for operating the fleet adhering to physical distancing norms, Director of Health Services ₹36.3 crore for hospital management committees, and ₹1.09 crore for purchase of medicines through the Karunya Community Pharmacy.
In all, the CMDRF’s total receipts as on date is ₹5,468.82 crore, including ₹4,912.45 crore during the floods of 2018 and 2019, and allotments ₹4,612.16 crore. On May 18, 2021 alone till 1 p.m, a sum of ₹6.22 lakh reached the CMDRF through various modes.
The CMDRF is an emergency assistance scheme for granting relief to deserving families and individuals affected by natural calamities or loss of life of relatives due to accidents or for treatment for major diseases.
Though the fund is operated by the Finance Secretary, the CMDRF is administered by the Revenue (DRF) Department. District Collectors can sanction up to ₹10,000, Special Secretary (Revenue) ₹15,000, Revenue Minister ₹25,000, Chief Minister ₹3 lakh, and Cabinet more than ₹3 lakh. The payments are transferred to the beneficiary bank account through DBT.
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