New Delhi, Nov 11 : A high-level committee, under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has approved three projects worth Rs 725.62 crore for the 'expansion and modernisation of fire services" in Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal.

According to an official statement issued on Monday, the committee has approved Rs 147.76 crore for Chhattisgarh, Rs 201.10 crore for Odisha and Rs 376.76 crore for West Bengal. The high-level committee includes the Finance Minister, Agriculture Minister and Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog as members.

The Central Government has allocated a total of Rs 5,000 crore under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for 'Expansion and Modernisation of Fire Services in the states,' proposals of 15 states with a total outlay of Rs 2542.12 crore have been approved earlier.

'To fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a disaster-resilient India, the Ministry of Home Affairs has taken several initiatives to ensure effective management of disasters in the country. A number of steps have been taken to prevent any extensive loss to life and property during disasters by strengthening the disaster risk reduction system in India,' the statement said.

More than Rs 21,026 crore of the outlay approved for the states has already been released to them during this year. This includes Rs 14,878.40 crore from State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to 26 States, Rs 4,637.66 crore from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to 15 States, Rs 1,385.45 crore from State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) to 11 States and Rs 124.93 crore from National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) to three States, the statement added.

The Expansion and Modernisation of Fire Services in the States was launched by the Union Home Ministry in July 2023 to strengthen fire services in India. The objectives of the scheme include setting up new fire stations, strengthening state training centres and providing modern fire-fighting equipment.

It also aims to strengthen state headquarters and urban fire stations, technological upgradation, installation and augmentation of online systems and incentivising states for legal and infrastructure-based reforms.

The scheme is based on recommendations from the Fifteenth Finance Commission and is being implemented on a cost-sharing basis, with state governments contributing 25 per cent of the total cost of projects. Northeastern and Himalayan (NEH) states contribute 10 per cent.

/IANS