Disaster Relief Norms: ₹8 Lakh Death Assistance and Higher Housing Support From 2026-27

The news

The central government has revised the assistance norms under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), increasing compensation for families affected by disasters in Uttarakhand. The changes, effective from financial year 2026-27, were announced on November 11, 2026, and will benefit households hit by heavy rainfall, floods, landslides and cloudbursts. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Disaster Management Minister Madan Kaushik thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the revision, noting that Uttarakhand's geographical conditions differ from other states and cause large-scale damage.

The most significant change is the doubling of death assistance from ₹4 lakh to ₹8 lakh per deceased person, a provision that also applies to personnel engaged in relief and rescue operations. For a fully damaged house in hilly and difficult areas, assistance has been raised from ₹1.30 lakh to ₹1.70 lakh, an increase of ₹40,000; in plains it has gone up from ₹1.20 lakh to ₹1.60 lakh. Crop-loss assistance per hectare has been increased for rainfed crops from ₹8,500 to ₹11,000, for assured-irrigation crops from ₹17,000 to ₹22,000, and for horticultural and perennial crops from ₹22,500 to ₹30,000, with a ceiling of two hectares. Large livestock death assistance has been raised from ₹37,500 to ₹50,000 per animal, subject to three animals per family, while small livestock assistance has gone up from ₹4,000 to ₹5,100. Assistance for immediate repair of state highways and major district roads in hilly areas has been increased from ₹1.25 lakh to ₹1.60 lakh per kilometre, and for rural roads from ₹75,000 to ₹1 lakh per kilometre. Drinking water schemes, school buildings and health centres now receive ₹2.60 lakh per unit, up from ₹2 lakh. Vinod Kumar Suman, Secretary of Disaster Management and Rehabilitation, said directions would be issued to departments and district administrations for transparent and prompt delivery of the revised assistance.

What are SDRF and NDRF?

The State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) is a state-level fund used for eligible immediate relief expenditure in response to notified disasters. The National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) is a national fund that supplements state resources for eligible relief expenditure in disasters of a severe nature. Both funds provide ex gratia assistance, a payment made as financial relief without necessarily establishing legal liability for the loss.

What has changed for housing, agriculture and livestock?

Assistance for a partially damaged permanent house has risen from ₹6,500 to ₹8,500, and for a partially damaged non-permanent house from ₹4,000 to ₹5,500. A fully destroyed hut now receives ₹10,500 instead of ₹8,000, and a cattle shed receives ₹4,000 instead of ₹3,000. For agriculture, silt removal assistance has been raised from ₹18,000 to ₹23,000 per hectare when deposits exceed three inches, and assistance for land permanently damaged by landslides and avalanches from ₹47,000 to ₹60,000 per hectare. In animal camps, daily fodder assistance has been increased from ₹80 to ₹100 for large animals and from ₹45 to ₹60 for small animals. Fishery and artisan assistance have also been raised: fishing boat repair to ₹8,000, new boat to ₹19,000, net repair to ₹4,000, new net to ₹5,100, fish seed and inputs to ₹13,000 per hectare, and artisan tools and raw materials to ₹6,500 per item.

What is the next step for implementation?

Uttarakhand's disaster management and rehabilitation administration plans to issue directions to departments and district administrations for transparent and prompt delivery of the revised assistance. Effective implementation will require timely loss assessment, clear communication of category-wise ceilings, and coordination between relief payments and restoration of essential services, especially in difficult terrain.