New Delhi, March 28 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah has approved projects for disaster recovery and reconstruction activities for Sikkim and sanctioned projects worth Rs 1,604.39 crore for strengthening of fire services in five states, an official said on Friday.

HM Shah chaired the high-level committee, which approved financial assistance of Rs 555.70 crore to Sikkim from the Recovery and Reconstruction Funding Window under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for disaster recovery and reconstruction needs.

The funds are expected to be used in various sectors affected due to devastating Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) that occurred in the downstream along the Teesta river basin in October 2023, said a statement.

To fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of disaster disaster-resilient India, the High-Level Committee approved projects/activities of Rs 1,604.39 crore for five States -- Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Kerala -- under the scheme 'Expansion and Modernisation of Fire Services in the States'.

The Committee approved Rs 340.90 crore for Bihar, Rs 339.18 crore for Gujarat, Rs 147.97 crore for Jharkhand, Rs 162.25 crore for Kerala and Rs 614.09 crore for Maharashtra from the earmarked allocation of Preparedness and Capacity Building Funding window under the NDRF.

The Central Government has allocated a total amount of Rs 5,000 crore under NDRF for 'Expansion and Modernization of Fire Services in the states,' and had already approved the proposals of 20 states for a total of Rs 3,373.12 crore.

The High-Level Committee also comprises the Finance Minister, Agriculture Minister and Vice Chairman NITI Aayog as members.

During the current financial year, the Central Government has released Rs 19,074.80 crore to 28 states under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and Rs 3,229.35 crore to 16 states under the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF).

In addition, an amount of Rs 5,160.76 crore has been released to 19 states under the NDRF and Rs 719.71 crore to eight states under the National Disaster Mitigation Fund.

/IANS