Telangana in a bind as Centre seeks utilisation certs for flood aid

HYDERABAD: Telangana has found itself in a tricky position after the Centre sought utilisation certificates on how it had spent the state disaster relief fund (SDRF) in the last eight years, including this year.
Sources said the state govt seemingly will be ill at ease if the Centre was bent upon linking release of flood relief funds to the submission of utilisation certificates.The Centre sought the utilisation certificates after the recent visit of a high-level team to Telangana to assess the flood damage.

"We are not sure if the utilisation certificates are available for all these years as the previous BRS govt did not furnish flood damage reports to the Centre. The state govt is furnishing its final report on the recent flood havoc to the Centre, mostly on Sept 27. The govt has assessed the damage to be around Rs 10,000 crore," said a govt source.
Sources said before the central team took up the field visit, the Centre wrote to the Congress govt seeking submission of the utilisation certificate only for this year. "The demand for utilisation certificates for the last eight years came after the central team's visit to Telangana. The state govt wasn't ready for the sudden shift in stand," a source said.
Ashish V Gawai, director, disaster management at the Centre, communicated to the state govt that an amount of Rs 1,345 crore is available in SDRF (as on April 1, 2024) for taking up disaster relief measures for the fiscal year 2024-25.
Flood relief in limbo: Centre blocks Rs 208 cr SDRF share
He further said in his correspondence that the state govt has not provided the necessary information for release of its share under SDRF for the current financial year, emphasising that states are required to submit this mandatory information to the Centre during April and Oct every year.
The Centre has already withheld its share of SDRF amounting to Rs 208 crore for 2024-25, the sources said. "Under these circumstances and with the need for utilisation certificates to be submitted, the state will face a challenge in securing flood aid from the Centre," a source said. A utilisation certificate is a document issued by a govt authority or any other organisation to certify that the funds or resources provided to an individual or entity have been utilised for the purpose for which they were originally granted.
Initially, Telangana sought Rs 5,000 crore towards interim relief, but the Centre is yet to respond to the state's request. Instead, it advised the state to utilise the Rs 1,345 crore currently available in SDRF for relief measures. "To even make use of this fund, the state will have to first submit the utilisation certificates as demanded by the central govt," an official explained. Between Sept 11-13, an inter-ministerial central team headed by ministry of home affairs joint secretary Col Kirti Pratap Singh undertook a visit of flood-affected districts and interacted with those affected by the deluge and heavy rains.
Sources said the previous BRS govt did not submit the flood damage reports when it was in power despite several reminders from the Centre.
Senior officials said as per procedures states will have to submit a flood damage report to the Centre, after which the central teams conduct field verification visits, assess the damage and file a report to the Centre.
However, in recent years, central teams are visiting Telangana even before the state govt sends the final flood damage report, it is learnt. The Congress govt furnished an interim report on the damage to the visiting central team on Sept 11 during its tour of Khammam and other districts.