The Cabinet has given the nod to the continuation of the Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP), for the period spanning 2021-2026.
It has a robust total outlay of Rs 4,100 crore allocated for the next five years.
Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP)
• Devastation by floods is a recurrent annual phenomenon in India. Floods cause considerable damage to life, property — public and private, and disruption to infrastructure, besides causing agony to the people.
• In order to protect human life, land and property from flood fury in the country, state governments undertake flood management works.
• Although, primary responsibility of flood management rests with the state governments, the Union government has decided that it is desirable to supplement their efforts in flood management, encouraging promotion and adoption of modern technology.
• This is particularly relevant as the increased incidence of extreme events have been witnessed during the last few years in view of the likely impact of climate change and the situation may further aggravate in times to come exacerbating the problem of floods in terms of extent, intensity and frequency.
• Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP) has been framed by merging the components of two schemes — Flood Management Programme (FMP) and River Management Activities and Works related to Border Areas (RMBA).
• The aim of FMBAP is to assist state governments to provide a reasonable degree of protection against floods in critical areas by adopting optimum combination of structural and non-structural measures and enhancing capabilities of state/central government officials in related fields.
• The states/UTs are provided promotional central financial assistance through FMP and RMBA schemes.
• Flood Management Programme was launched for providing central assistance to the state governments for undertaking the works related to river management, flood control, anti-erosion, drainage development, flood proofing, restoration of damaged flood management works and anti-sea erosion works.
• It has been continued as a component of FMBAP.
River Management Activities and Works related to Border Areas (RMBA) has three components:
i) Hydrological observations and flood forecasting on common border rivers with neighbouring countries.
ii) Investigations of water resources projects in neighbouring countries.
iii) Grant-in-Aid to states/UTs for flood management/anti-sea erosion.
Funding for the programme
• Under the Flood Management Programme (FMP) component of FMBAP with an outlay of Rs 2,940 crore, central assistance will be provided to state governments for taking up critical works related to flood control, anti-erosion, drainage development and anti-sea erosion among others.
• The pattern of funding to be followed is 90 per cent (Centre), 10 per cent (state) for Special Category States (eight northeast states and Hilly States of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and UT of Jammu & Kashmir) and 60 per cent (Centre), 40 per cent (State) for General/Non-Special Category States.
• Under the River Management and Border Areas (RMBA) component of FMBAP with an outlay of Rs 1,160 crore, flood control and anti-erosion works will be taken up with 100 per cent central assistance.
