The Centre has approved the release of over Rs 4,432 crore as financial aid to three states which were hit by natural disasters in the 2018-19 financial year.

The high- level committee headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah approved the additional central assistance to Odisha, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh.

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Out of the Rs 4,432 crore, Odisha has been given Rs 3338.22 crore for the damage caused by the cyclone Fani, Rs 1029.39 crore to Karnataka for drought and Rs 64.49 crore to Himachal Pradesh for avalanches and hailstorm during 2018-19.

The funds will be disbursed from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).

However, Kerala, which was hit by the worst floods in a century in August 2018 has not been allocated any additional aid. According to various estimates, the state had suffered damage of around Rs 31,000 crore in the floods that killed nearly 400 people last year.

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The Central government had already provided Kerala Rs 2904 crore in the wake of the floods, while the state government had raised Rs 4016 crore through the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Kerala government had sought an assistance of Rs 4700 crore as the centre.

The allocation of additional financial assistance comes at a time when most of the states are facing another flood.

In Karnataka, 76 had lost their lives in the floods, which also left a trail of destruction that has been estimated at Rs 50,000 crore.

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Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister DV Sadananda Gowda, who hails from Karnataka had said that the Centre has released Rs 128 crore for flood relief works in the state.

On the other hand, Kerala which was the worst affected state this year also was only given Rs 52.27 crore.

Union minister of state V Muralidharan had earlier claimed that the state had not utilized some Rs 1400 crore given by the Centre last year.

104 people were killed in the floods in Kerala, this year.

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Kerala government had announced an immediate flood relief package of up to Rs 10,000 each for all calamity-hit families which had suffered losses in the torrential rains.

A sum of Rs 4 lakh would be given to those whose houses had been fully damaged or had become uninhabitable and Rs 10 lakh to those who had lost their houses as well as land in the rain fury and landslides, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said.