Kerala govt seeks Rs 4,700 crore from Centre as compensation for flood damage
New Delhi : The Kerala government has submitted a memorandum to the Home Ministry regarding details of damage and requirement of funds for relief operations in the state. At least 488 people have died in the state due to the rains and floods this monsoon. The large-scale devastation had affected 14 districts in the state.
A memorandum has been sent by the state government to MHA, with details about the loss of human life, properties, infrastructure and crops and seeks about Rs 4,700 crore as compensation, a senior government official was quoted as saying by PTI
A detailed memorandum is submitted by the state government in case of any natural calamity beyond the coping capacity of a state. The Kerala government has sent the memorandum, accordingly. As per the existing guidelines, the central government will soon send an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) for on-the-spot assessment of damage and additional requirement of funds, the agency reports.
The Sub-Committee of National Executive Committee (SC-NEC) headed by the Union home secretary will consider the IMCT report, in conformity with the norms. The report will then be considered by a high-level committee, chaired by the home minister for approving the quantum of additional assistance from the NDRF.
During any notified disaster event, the financial mechanism to meet the rescue and relief expenditure is governed by guidelines on State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
State Disaster Response Fund has been constituted in each state in which the Centre contributes 75 per cent for general category states and 90 per cent for special category states of hilly regions every year according to the award of the successive Finance Commissions.
According to the guidelines, the Centre provides its allocation to SDRF of each state in advance in two instalments. In case of any natural calamity, the state meets the expenditure of relief and rescue from the State Disaster Response Fund already available at its disposal.
The central government had released Rs 600 crore to flood-hit Kerala on August 21, as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Rs 500 crore) and Home Minister Rajnath Singh (Rs 100 crore) during their visits to the state. The fund was in addition to Rs 562.45 crore already made available in State Disaster Relief Fund of the state.
courtesy : indianexpress.com
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ISRO successfully conducts second integrated air drop test for Gaganyaan mission
New Delhi (PTI): Space agency ISRO has successfully conducted the second integrated air drop test (IADT-02) for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission at the space station in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota.
The system is essential to ensure a safe recovery of the crew module -- the capsule in which astronauts sit during a human flight -- during re-entry and landing.
Union minister Jitendra Singh congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for successfully conducting the test.
"Congratulations #ISRO for the successful accomplishment of Second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) for #Gaganyaan, India's first Human Space flight scheduled next year. The second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) was successfully conducted at Satish Dhawan Space Station Sriharikota," Singh said in a post on X.
The IADT-02 follows the successful completion of the first IADT, which took place on August 24, 2025, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
Air drop tests recreate the last leg of a spacecraft's return to Earth. An aircraft or helicopter drops the spacecraft from a height to test various systems under different scenarios.
These are the deployment of the parachute system in case the mission is aborted mid-flight, system performance when one parachute fails to open and the spacecraft's orientation and safety during splashdown etc.
In the IADT-02 test, a simulated crew module, weighing about 5.7 tonnes, was lifted by an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter to an altitude of about three kilometres and released over a designated drop zone in the sea, near the Sriharikota coast.
In a statement, the ISRO said, "Ten parachutes of four types were deployed in a precise sequence during the descent of the crew module, gradually reducing the velocity for safe touchdown. Subsequently, the simulated crew module was successfully recovered in coordination with the Indian Navy."
