Cabinet extends Rs 4100 Cr Central scheme for 5 years to help states check floods

New Delhi, Feb 21: The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the proposal for continuation of the Centrally-sponsored scheme for 'Flood Management and Border Areas Programme' (FMBAP) with a total outlay of Rs 4,100 crore for a period of five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26.

The scheme under the Department of Water Resources has two components:

1) Under the Flood Management Programme (FMP) component of FMBAP with an outlay of Rs 2,940 crore, Central assistance will be provided to state governments for taking up critical works related to flood control, anti-erosion, drainage development and anti-sea erosion, etc.

The pattern of funding to be followed is 90 per cent (Centre): 10 per cent (state) for special category states, including eight Northeastern states and the hilly states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the UT of Jammu & Kashmir; and 60 per cent (Centre): 40 per cent (state) for general/non-special category states.

2) Under the River Management and Border Areas (RMBA) component of FMBAP with an outlay of Rs 1,160 crore, flood control and anti-erosion works on common border rivers with neighbouring countries, including hydrological observations and flood forecasting, and investigation and pre-construction activities of joint water resources projects (with neighbouring countries) on common border rivers will be taken up with 100 per cent Central assistance.

Although, the primary responsibility of flood management rests with the state governments, the Union government has decided that it is desirable to supplement the efforts of the states.