KT Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR recently alleged that the centre denied flood relief funds to the state. The Minister for Municipal Administration & Urban Development, made this sensational allegation on Twitter, tagging the PMO. He asked if this was what “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” and co-operative federalism meant?
#FactCheck: #Telangana minister #KTR said that the state hasn’t received any money from the #NDRF since 2018.
Read #AFWACheck to know why KTR's statement is wrong. (@virusfound007 l @dheeshmap)https://t.co/Dpx6QGCkIu
— India Today Fact Check (@AFWACheck) July 21, 2022
KTR shared a table wherein the state-wise allocation of funds by the NDRF was shown. He tweeted, “Telangana has been reeling under heavy floods but not a single rupee granted under NDRF (National Disaster Response Fund) since 2018.” His tweet received thousands of likes and retweets.
The Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) of India Today confirms that KTR’s claim is just half-truth. While it’s true that Telangana hasn’t received a single rupee under the NDRF since 2018, getting relief from the NDRF is a lengthy and complex process with multiple layers of checks and approvals. After a state seeks relief from the Centre, the matter is looked into by a High-Level Committee. The Committee examines the demand and decides the amount to be released.
In the case of Telangana, the Committee approved Rs. 245.96 crores in FY 2020-21, but the amount was not released. The last time Telangana received NDRF money was in FY 2017-18.
The table shared by KTR is factual. It is the same data that Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai presented in the Lok Sabha on July 19, while responding to a question from Assam MP Prodyut Bordolui.
(Link for the table)
As per this table, Telangana has not received NDRF grants since 2018. But it must be noted that Telangana is not the only one. Seven other states, many of them BJP-ruled, also did not get any funds from the NDRF since 2018. These states are Chhattisgarh, Goa, Haryana, Punjab, Mizoram, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttarakhand.
To conclude, KTR’s politicisation of the issue by using half-truth is inaccurate.
References: India Today
Featured Image Source: Open Magazine
