Chief Secy reviews ₹3440.43 Cr plan for flood restoration works

JAMMU : The Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting to review the comprehensive plan for utilization of funds earmarked for works related to the permanent restoration of damages caused by floods and associated calamities in 2025.

The meeting besides the ACS, PDD; ACS, Finance; ACS, PWD; Principal Secretary, DMRR&R was attended by Commissioner Secretary, H&UDD; Commissioner Secretary, YS&S; Commissioner Secretary, School Education Department.

The Deputy Commissioners also attended the meeting through video conferencing from their respective offices.

The Chief Secretary emphasised upon all Departments to accord necessary administrative approval and technical sanction to ensure that works are tendered and completed without any delay.

He called for submission of work-wise completion details in due course and stressed that each project must be executed strictly as per the approved list and within the prescribed estimates. He enjoined upon the Departments to expedite approvals so that tendering is completed promptly and execution of works is taken up by June this year.

The Chief Secretary stressed the importance of strict adherence to the guidelines issued by the Disaster Management Division, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for recovery and reconstruction. He observed that the Ministry is going to have its focus on the execution of these works therefore demands highest priority on our part as well. He directed all departments to ensure that project proposals are aligned with the PDNA findings and that there is no duplication of funding across different schemes, particularly between R&R and SASCI components.

The Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, Shailendra Kumar, underscored the need to fix strict timelines for each stage of implementation to ensure timely completion of all projects. He assured that the UT share would be made available without any hindrance to facilitate smooth execution of these works.

He advised the departments that necessary department-wise allocations would be made on BEAMStofacilitate timely uploading of works taken up under these additional components, over and above the budgetary allocations. He further stressed that this would help in ensuring their early execution and completion.

During the meeting, a detailed presentation was made by Principal Secretary, DMRR&R, Chandraker Bharti outlining the component-wise allocation of ₹ 3440.43 Cr, structured across multiple funding streams to address both immediate relief and long-term resilience.

Highlighting the need for capacity building, the Principal Secretary further revealed that the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) has been requested to conduct training programmes for officers and officials of line departments and districts. These programmes aim to strengthen institutional capacity for effective project formulation, implementation, and monitoring.

The Principal Secretary apprised that the largest share of ₹ 1579.09 Cr has been approved under the Recovery & Reconstruction (R&R) component of the UT Disaster Response Fund (UTDRF) as Central Financial Assistance based on the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA). This includes ₹ 1421.118 Cr as Central share and ₹ 157.909 Cr as UT share.

Moreover it was divulged that the funds are aimed at permanent restoration of critical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, irrigation systems, and public assets, with a focus on adopting a “build back better” approach to enhance disaster resilience. The Central share is to be released in three installments of 30%, 40%, and 30%, subject to utilization conditions.

In addition, ₹ 330.34 Cr has been approved by the High-Level Committee (HLC) under SDRF/NDRF norms to cater to immediate and residual impacts of disasters including floods, flash floods, landslides, and cloudbursts. This component is intended to meet urgent restoration and relief requirements in accordance with prescribed norms and sector-specific needs.

The meeting further reviewed the strategy to spend ₹ 1431 Cr Special Additional Central Assistance under SASCI component, which provides supplementary support for critical gaps and resilience-oriented interventions not fully covered under other funding mechanisms.

It was emphasized that this funding window would be utilized judiciously for priority sectors requiring additional financial backing, while ensuring no overlap with R&R allocations. The component constitutes funding for raising critical infrastructure in R&B Sector worth ₹ 860 Cr, Jal Shakti (₹315 Cr), PDD (₹173 Cr), Agriculture Production Department (₹51Cr) and Youth Services & Sports Department (₹ 32 Cr).

The CAPEX Budget 2025–26 was also highlighted as an important component of the overall outlay, with dedicated provisions for flood mitigation and restoration works.

These include strengthening of flood control infrastructure, construction of protective works such as embankments and drainage systems, and integration of disaster resilience into capital development planning.

The Chief Secretary underscored the urgency of expediting restoration works, particularly in critical sectors, to ensure timely recovery and enhanced resilience against future disasters. He called for close inter-departmental coordination, robust monitoring mechanisms, and outcome-oriented implementation of all projects under the ₹ 3440.43 Cr plan.