GUWAHATI: The Indian government informed Lok Sabha on July 24, that the 15th Finance Commission had rejected states' proposal to include heatwaves in the list of notified national disasters.
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Responding to a question from Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat, Union Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh reported that extreme heat and sunstroke claimed 10,635 lives in India between 2013 and 2023. However, he claimed that IMD's improved monitoring and early warning systems have helped reduce the loss of life and property during extreme weather events, including heatwaves.
"The Commission, in paragraph 8.143 of its report, observed that the existing list of notified disasters eligible for funding from the State Disaster Response Mitigation Fund (SDRMF) and National Disaster Response Mitigation Fund (NDRMF) largely meets the needs of the states and therefore did not find sufficient merit in the request to expand the list," the minister stated.
Currently, the list of calamities eligible for assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) or State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) includes 12 disasters: cyclone, drought, earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami, hailstorm, landslide, avalanche, cloudburst, pest attack, and frost and cold wave.
