Animal Husbandry

APPENDIX

F.No. 1-58/97-NDM

Government of India

Ministry of Agriculture

Department of Agriculture & Cooperation

(Natural Disaster Management Division)

Dated 31/10/1999

Sub: Review of items and norms of assistance from the calamity Relief Fund and National Fund for Calamity Relief Constitution of Review Committee.

The Tenth Finance Commission (TFC) had recommended that Ministry of Agriculture will set up a committee of Experts and representatives of the State Governments to drawn up a list of items, the expenditure on which alone will be chargeable to the CRF as also the norms of assistance from the National Fund for Calamity Relief. The State Level Committee would then workout the details of the norms or assistance than can be given or spent under each of the approved items of expenditure from the CRF. The norms of assistance so fixed by the State Level Committee should be communicated to the Ministry of Agriculture for checking and modifying them, if necessary, if they are significantly out of line. The Accountant General will book only expenditure to CRF is incurred as per norms approved by the Ministry of Agriculture.

2. On the basis of the above recommendations of the Tenth Finance Commission, an Expert Committee constituted by the Ministry of Agriculture in April 1995 had identified the items of assistance from the CRF and the norms of such assistance in the case of NFCR. The items of assistance approved by the Expert Committee were communicated to the State Governments. Some of the State Level Committees finalised their norms of assistance and communicated to the Ministry of Agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture considered the proposals of the State Governments and approved norms of assistance permissible from the CRF keeping in view the basic objective of avoiding wide variations from State to State and to ensure uniformity of approach as far as possible.

3. While considering the proposals received from the State Governments for additional assistance from the NFCR and the reports of the Central team which visited the affected acres to assess the situation, problems related to the unrealistic nature of some of the norms have been pointed out again and again. Some of the State Governments have also made representations about the norms of assistance by the Government of India and requested for continuance of their existing norms. A committee of Secretaries which considered the issue of relief and rehabilitation in the cyclone affected areas of Andhra Pradesh during 1996 had recommended adoption of scientific methods for assessing damage and requirements of relief and rehabilitation in the wake of natural calamities.

4. Accordingly, it has been decided to constitute a committee of Experts to review the existing norms of assistance from the calamity Relief Fund and the NFCR in the wake of natural calamities and related matters with the following composition :

5.         The terms and reference of the committee will be as under :

(a)To review the existing list of items and norms of assistance prescribed by the Ministry of Agriculture as debitable to the CRF>

(b)To review the existing norms of assistance from the National Fund for calamity relief.

(c)To suggest scientific methods for assessment of damage and requirements f relief and rehabilitation.

(d)To suggest measures to ensure that relief assistance is reaching the affecting people and to prevent diversion of funds from the CRF.

(e)To suggest guidelines for the memoranda to be submitted to the 11^th Finance Commission for increasing the corpus of the fund keeping in view the experiences of the last two years.

3.The committee will submit its report before 31^st December 1997.

       RVK Kutty

       Under Secy to Govt of India

No.3-9/2000-NDM

Government of India

Ministry of Agriculture

Department of Agriculture and Cooperation

KRISHI BHAWAN , Dr. RAJINDERA PRASAD ROAD, New Delhi

                                                Dated 16.1.2001-07-09

To

The Chief Secretaries of all States

Relief Commissioners(All states)

Sub:     Items of Expenditure and Norms of Assistance both under calamity Relief Fund (CRF) and National Calamity Contingency fund (NCCF) minutes of the meeting of the Expert Committee.

Sir

I am directed to say t6hat in accordance with the recommendations of the elevenths Finance Commission (EFC)and National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF). A copy of the composition of the Committee was circulated vide O.M. No. 3-9/2000-NDMdated 1^st November, 2000 is enclosed.

2.         The Expert Committee held its meeting at 10.30AM on 1/12/2000 under the chairmanship of Sh S K Purkay7astha, Additional Secrterary7 and Central Relief Commissioner in Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi, The minutes of the aforesaid meeting including the recommendations of the Expert Committee regarding items of expenditure and norm of assistance both under CRF and NCCF are enclosed. It is requested that the State Governments may kindly send their comments/suggestions, if and latest by 31^st January, 2001.

3.         In accordance with the recommendations of the EFC , State specific list of items of expenditure and norms of assistance is also required to be drain up. The State Governments are, therefore, requested to also make available the State specific list duly approved by the State Level Committee latest by 31^st January, 2001 to enable this Department to finalize and draw up the State specific list of items of expenditure and norms of assistance not cover under the general recommendations or otherwise.

(S.K.Swami)

Director(NDM)

Department of Agriculture & Cooperation

NDM Division

Minutes of the meeting of the Committee of Experts constituted to review list of items approved for incurring expenditure from the Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) and NCCF held on 1/12/2000.

            A meeting of the Committee of Experts constituted to review the list of items approved for incurring expenditure from the Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) was held under the Chairmanship of Central Relief Commissioner and Additional Secretary (P) in Committee Room No. 142, Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi at 10.30 AM on 1/12/2000.

2.         The list of participants is at annexure.

3.         Welcoming the participants, AS(P) informed that he had taken over as Central Relief Commissioner and requested the participants to introduce themselves. Thereafter a brief background for which the meeting was held was explained. It was informed that the Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) was constituted on the recommendations of the Ninth Finance Commission (NFC)  and was continued by the Tenth Finance Commission (TFC). The Eleventh Finance Commission (EFC) has also recommended to continue the CRF with some modifications. A committee of Experts was earlier set up on the recommendations of the TFC to review the existing norms. The committee had drawn up the revised items of expenditure under CRF and items and norms of assistance under the then National Fund for Calamity Relief (NFCR). The states were requested to give their comments on the revised norms. However, in the meanwhile recommendation of the EFC has been received and accepted by the Government.

4.         AS(P) informed that the EFC had also recommended the setting up of a Committee of Experts by the Ministry of Agriculture for finalisation of items of expenditure for incurring expenditure from CRF. A Committee of Experts had, thus, been constituted on 1/11/2000 and was meeting today to review the items of expenditure including the State specific list of items of expenditure. He also informed that in place of NFCR  a new mechanism under NCCF will be in place for additional central assistance for calamities of severed nature.

5.         Item wise review of list of items of expenditure drawn up by the last Committee of Experts was then taken up by the Committee. After detailed discussions, it was agreed as under:

6.         As regards State specific list of items and norms of expenditure, it was decided that the same would be sent by the State after due approval by the State Level Committee to the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Government of India for finalising separate norms/guidelines.

7.         In view of the discussion above, a revised list of items and norms of expenditure permissible both under CRF and NCCF is enclosed.

8.         The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the Chair.

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Annexure

List of participants who attended the meeting of the Committee of Experts constituted to review of list of items approved for incurring expenditure from the Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) held on 1/12/2000.

1.         Sh SK Purkayastha, Central Relief Commissioner and Addl Secretary DAC

2.         Sh Govindan Nair, Joint Secretary DAc

3.         Sh SK Swami Director (NDM) DAC

4.         Dr. Brij Bhushan, Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Heath

5.         Sh RC Devivedi, Relief Commissioner & Secretary (Revenue) Govt. of UP

6.         Ms Asha Swarup, Secretary(Finance & Planning) Govt. of HP

7.         Sh Laljit Singha, commissioner(Revenue)Govt of HP

8.         Sh Manohar Lal, Resident Commissioner, Govt of Rajasthan

9.         Sh VP Ahuja, SRO Planning Commission

10.       Sh VK Pipersenia, Resident Commissioner, Assam

11.       Ms Sheela Prasad, Director, Ministry of Finance

12.       Ms Valsala Kutty, Director, Deptt of Drinking Water Supply, Ministry of Rural Development

13.       Sh RK Celly, Chief-BMTPC Ministry of Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation.

14.       Sh Devinder Nath US (NDM)