Centre kept over half of emergency disaster funds unspent, CAG report shows

The Union government has not transferred more than 53% of the funds sanctioned under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to states, according to a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled in Parliament. Of the total Rs 11,474 crore sanctioned for severe calamities, only Rs 5,356 crore reached states, leaving Rs 6,117.97 crore as "savings". The CAG noted persistent underspending in transfers to states across three financial years, despite repeated audit observations.

The shortfall is starker in other heads. Nearly 75% of funds under the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) and over 83% of special assistance to states remained untransferred. The report has emerged as several states accuse the Centre of ignoring their demands for aid. The News Minute reports that Kerala received only Rs 260.56 crore of the Rs 2,221 crore it sought for Wayanad landslide rehabilitation, while Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have similarly faced shortfalls.

The CAG report notes that "persistent savings" have been flagged despite advisories from the Ministry of Finance following directions of the Public Accounts Committee. The Union government also did not use a single rupee from a Rs 100 crore grant available as loan advances for natural calamity relief.