SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has received more than Rs 805 crore as central assistance for flood management works since the inception of the Flood Management and Border Areas Programme, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti informed the Lok Sabha, highlighting the Union Territory as one of the major beneficiaries under the national flood mitigation framework.
According to official data tabled in Parliament on Thursday, Jammu and Kashmir has been sanctioned 44 flood management projects since the Eleventh Plan period, with an estimated total cost of Rs 2,594.12 crore. Of this, central assistance amounting to Rs 805.27 crore has been released up to March 2025 under the Flood Management Programme component of the Flood Management and Border Areas Programme. The figures underline the scale of flood vulnerability in the region and the sustained reliance on central support for structural and anti-erosion measures.
In addition to flood control works, Jammu and Kashmir has also received funds under the River Management Activities and Works related to Border Areas component of the programme. Under this segment, the Union Territory has been allocated Rs 9.98 crore since the Eleventh Plan, against which Rs 25.91 crore has been released up to March 2025, reflecting additional support for river management and border-related hydraulic works in sensitive areas.
The Ministry clarified that flood management schemes are formulated and implemented by State governments and Union Territories based on local priorities, while the Union Government plays a supplementary role by providing technical guidance and financial assistance for projects in critical flood-prone areas. It also stated that data on flood-related damage to crops, land and loss of life is not maintained centrally, as such assessments fall within the purview of the respective States and Union Territories.
Responding to queries related to West Bengal, the Ministry said that no funds were released for the Ghatal Master Plan up to December 2023, as the project did not meet the eligibility criteria for inclusion under the Flood Management Programme. One of the mandatory conditions for inclusion is the implementation of Flood Plain Zoning through legislation or an executive order by the concerned State, which West Bengal has not fulfilled.
At the national level, a total of 530 flood management projects have been approved under the Flood Management Programme component of the Flood Management and Border Areas Programme since the Eleventh Plan, with an estimated cost of Rs 16,051.76 crore. Against this, cumulative central assistance of Rs 7,260.51 crore has been released up to March 2025. Jammu and Kashmir figures prominently among States and Union Territories with high project costs, alongside Assam, Bihar and West Bengal, reflecting the uneven geography of flood risk across the country.
Under the border-related river management component, eight States and Union Territories have received central funds amounting to Rs 1,477.15 crore since the Eleventh Plan, with Jammu and Kashmir included due to its strategic location and river systems along sensitive borders.
