Bhubaneswar, April 5: Centre has released Rs 427 crore to State to combat drought in the State, Special Relief Commissioner Pradipta Mohapatra said here on Monday.
He said of this, Rs 150 crore is towards the pending Phailin assistance.
The Centre has released Rs 276 crore towards drought assistance against the demand of Rs 606 crore by the State, he added.
Notably, the State government had sent its report to the Union government seeking an assistance of Rs 815 crore to tackle the drought situation.
The request was made on February 5 this year to provide the total assistance without deducting the assistance from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
Biju Janata Dal spokesperson Pratap Jena critiised on Monday informed that the Central Government has provided Rs 427 crore for State Disaster Response Fund(SDRF) but no fund has been allotted for Phailin and drought assistance as demanded by the State.