Centre must consider number of COVID-19 cases to allocate funds to states: Ahmed Patel

Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Sunday urged Home Minister Amit Shah to allocate funds to states from the State Disaster Risk Management Fund (SDRMF) in proportion to the number of coronavirus cases they have reported.

Patel pointed out that some Union Territories and states like Delhi, Kerala and Punjab have a large number of COVID-19 cases but "they have received very little funds".

"I request the Home Minister Amit Shah to include Covid19 as a criterion apart from the Finance Commission criteria for disbursement to states," he said on Twitter.

"Central Government must consider number of Covid19 cases and hotspots to decide allocation of State Disaster Risk Management Fund to states," he added.

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The Union home minister on Friday approved release of ₹11,092 crore to all states under the SDRMF for setting up quarantine facilities and arranging other facilities for checking the spread of coronavirus.

The number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases in the country climbed to 3,374 on Sunday while the death toll rose to 77, according to Union Health Ministry data.