G.O. (Ms) No.92, Guidelines on Constitution and Administration of the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Mitigation Fund, 2022

Purpose and scope

Government Order G.O. (Ms) No.92, issued by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Disaster Management Wing, on 28 February 2022, contains guidelines for the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Mitigation Fund. The guidelines operate from the financial year 2021-22 to 2025-26 and continue until further orders.

The fund is exclusively for mitigation projects concerning disasters covered by the State Disaster Response Fund or National Disaster Response Fund guidelines, together with State-specific local disasters notified by the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Who it affects

The Tamil Nadu State Disaster Mitigation Fund guidelines mainly affect Tamil Nadu government departments, the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority, the State Executive Committee, district administrations and organisations proposing or implementing mitigation projects.

For property buyers and owners, the document does not set out rules for ownership, registration or transfer. Its relevance is that eligible non-structural mitigation may include land use policies, flood plain regulations, building codes, location-specific planning, forest management and restoration of mangroves.

Key provisions

Government Order G.O. (Ms) No.92 identifies the following features:

• Local and community-based interventions may be funded when they reduce risks and promote environment-friendly habitats and livelihood practices.
• Structural measures may include physical construction, engineering or technology intended to improve resistance and resilience against hazards such as cyclones and earthquakes.
• Non-structural measures may include planning, laws, public awareness, training, education, building codes and flood plain regulation.
• Large-scale works such as coastal walls, flood embankments and support for drought resilience are not to be financed from this fund. They must be pursued through development plans that incorporate disaster risk reduction.
• The Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority must conduct risk assessments and prepare a long-term mitigation strategy based on hazards, exposure, vulnerability and likely impacts.

Funding and administration

The Tamil Nadu State Disaster Mitigation Fund is placed in the Public Account under a reserve fund bearing interest. It is operated by the State Executive Committee in consultation with the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority, which is responsible for appraisal, monitoring and supervision of mitigation projects.

For Tamil Nadu, the Government of India contributes 75 percent of the fund and the State Government contributes 25 percent. After receiving the central share, the State must transfer it, together with its own share if not already transferred, to the Public Account within 15 days. A delay requires payment of interest at the Reserve Bank of India bank rate for the delayed period.