The Union government has approved fire services expansion and modernization projects worth Rs 725.62 crore for three states—Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and West Bengal. The approval was given by a high-level committee chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, which also included Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The funds will be distributed as Rs 376.76 crore for West Bengal, Rs 201.10 crore for Odisha, and Rs 147.76 crore for Chhattisgarh under the 'Expansion and Modernisation of Fire Services' initiative. This initiative is part of the Ministry of Home Affairs' ongoing efforts to build a disaster-resilient India, as outlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In addition to these new projects, the government has already allocated a total of Rs 5,000 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for fire services expansion. A total of 15 states, with a combined outlay of Rs 2,542.12 crore, have already received approvals for similar projects. Additionally, over Rs 21,000 crore has been released this year to support disaster management efforts, including funds from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
