Lok Sabha Question No. 106 (STARRED), answered on 2025-02-11
Subject: Modernisation of Fire Services
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Brijendra Singh Ola

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *106

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 11 TH  FEBRUARY, 2025/ MAGHA 22, 1946 (SAKA)

MODERNISATION OF FIRE SERVICES

†*106.     SHRI BRIJENDRA SINGH OLA:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government  has  taken/proposes  to  take  any  steps  to expand and modernize fire services to reduce disaster risks in the States;

(b) if so, the details thereof and the funds spent thereon;

(c)  whether  any  action  plan  is  being  formulated  by  the  Government  to make the said provisions mandatory for expansion of firefighting schemes to reduce disaster risks at the level of Gram panchayats in the country including Rajasthan; and

(d)  if  so,  the  time  by  which  the  said  action  plan  is  likely  to  be formulated/implemented and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI NITYANAND RAI)

(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the table of the House.

## STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF THE STARRED QUESTION NO. 106* FOR ANSWER IN LOK SABHA ON 11.02.2025

Fire  Services  is  a  State  subject  and  has  been  included  as  a  Municipal function  in  the  XII  Schedule  of  the  Constitution  of  India  under    Article 243 (W).

It  is  the  primary  responsibility  of  the  State  Governments  to  ensure strengthening  of  Fire  and  Emergency  Services  under  the  area  of  their jurisdiction, including in the Gram Panchayats.  As such, expansion and modernization of firefighting schemes and formulation/ implementation of any action plan to reduce disaster risks at the level of Gram panchayats in the country, including in the State of Rajasthan falls under the exclusive jurisdiction of the States and the Central Government has only an advisory role in respect of fire services.

Recognizing the need for expansion and modernization of fire services in the States, Fifteenth Finance Commission recommended a provision of Rs.5000 crore for expansion and modernization of the fire services at a state  level.  The  Central  Government  has  launched  a  'Scheme  for Expansion and Modernization of Fire Services in the States' on 04.07.2023 from the Preparedness and Capacity Building Funding Window under the

## L.S.S.Q.NO. *106 FOR 11.02.2025

National      Disaster      Response      Fund      (NDRF)      for      strengthening fire   services   in   the   States   with   a   total   Central   outlay   of Rs. 5,000 Crore. The detailed scheme is available at https://www.mha.gov.in/en/commoncontent/policies-guidelines.

Under the Scheme, the State Governments shall have to contribute 25% (except  for  North-Eastern  and  Himalayan  (NEH)  States  which  shall contribute  10%)  of  the  total  cost  of  projects  /  proposals  from  their respective States resources.

Under  the  Scheme,  the  States  are  permitted  to  undertake  following activities in order to strengthen the fire services in their respective states.

- (i) Expansion  of  Fire  Services  by  setting  up  of  new  fire  stations, strengthening of state training centres and capacity building of the  firefighter,  volunteers  and  community  in  fire  prevention measures, awareness programme etc. 35% of the fund has been allocated for this activity, out of which 5% is for capacity building.
- (ii) Modernization  of  fire  services  by  procuring  modern  firefighting equipment and strengthening of state headquarters and urban fire stations.   The  equipment   to  be  purchased  includes hydraulic

platform, turntable ladders among  others  as given in the indicative  list  circulated  to  the  States  along  with  the  Scheme guidelines  dated  4 th   July,  2023.  50%  of  the  fund  has  been allocated for modernization of fire services.

- (iii) Provision has also been made for any State specific demand under which not only the states can raise their demand to top-up their respective ongoing projects requiring additional financial assistance, but also flexibility has been given to them to meet the states specific requirements. 15% of the fund has been allocated for State specific demand.
- (iv) Out of the total allocated fund of Rs.5000 crore under the Scheme, an amount of Rs.500 crore has also been kept for incentivising the States  on  the  basis  of  their  legal  and  infrastructure-based reforms.

The  State-wise  details  of  funds  allocated  to  the  States  and  projects approved under the Scheme is at Annexure-I. As on date, proposals of twenty (20) states have been approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs for financial  assistance  under the Scheme.  Out of the twenty (20) states, a

total amount of Rs.757.39 crore has already been released to eighteen (18)  States  towards 1 st installment  of  the  projects  as  per  details  given below: -

(Rs in crore)

|   Sl. No. | States            |   Total Allocation | 1 st instalment   |
|-----------|-------------------|--------------------|-------------------|
|         1 | Andhra Pradesh    |            252.86  | 56.90             |
|         2 | Manipur           |             45     | 12.15             |
|         3 | Meghalaya         |             44.37  | 11.98             |
|         4 | Telangana         |            190.14  | 42.78             |
|         5 | Uttar Pradesh     |            768.67  | 172.95            |
|         6 | Himachal Pradesh  |             65.33  | 17.64             |
|         7 | Punjab            |            131.56  | 29.60             |
|         8 | Sikkim            |             32.25  | 8.71              |
|         9 | Tripura           |             42.36  | 11.44             |
|        10 | Uttarakhand       |             78.89  | 21.30             |
|        11 | Assam             |            107.47  | 29.02             |
|        12 | Karnataka         |            329.9   | 74.23             |
|        13 | Mizoram           |             40     | 10.80             |
|        14 | Tamil Nadu        |            373.27  | 83.99             |
|        15 | Chhattisgarh      |            147.745 | 33.24             |
|        16 | Nagaland          |             40.05  | 10.81             |
|        17 | Odisha            |            200.384 | 45.09             |
|        18 | West Bengal       |            376.76  | 84.77             |
|        19 | Arunachal Pradesh |             63.95  | -                 |
|        20 | Goa               |             42.16  | -                 |

*****

## State-wise details of funds allocated to the States under the scheme for expansion and modernization of Fire Services in the States

(Rs in crore)

| Sl. No   | List of States    |   Central Share |   State Share |   Total Allocation |
|----------|-------------------|-----------------|---------------|--------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh    |          189.7  |         63.23 |             252.93 |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh |           57.57 |          6.39 |              63.96 |
| 3        | Assam             |           96.73 |         10.74 |             107.47 |
| 4        | Bihar             |          255.69 |         85.23 |             340.92 |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh      |          110.82 |         36.94 |             147.76 |
| 6        | Goa               |           31.63 |         10.54 |              42.17 |
| 7        | Gujarat           |          254.27 |         84.75 |             339.02 |
| 8        | Haryana           |           87.48 |         29.16 |             116.64 |
| 9        | Himachal Pradesh  |           58.8  |          6.53 |              65.33 |
| 10       | Jharkhand         |          111    |         37    |             148    |
| 11       | Karnataka         |          247.42 |         82.47 |             329.9  |
| 12       | Kerala            |          122.41 |         40.8  |             163.21 |
| 13       | Madhya Pradesh    |          298.15 |         99.38 |             397.54 |
| 14       | Maharashtra       |          461.61 |        153.87 |             615.48 |
| 15       | Manipur           |           40.5  |          4.5  |              45    |
| 16       | Meghalaya         |           39.94 |          4.43 |              44.37 |
| 17       | Mizoram           |           36    |          4    |              40    |
| 18       | Nagaland          |           36.05 |          4    |              40.05 |
| 19       | Odisha            |          150.83 |         50.27 |             201.1  |
| 20       | Punjab            |           98.67 |         32.89 |             131.56 |
| 21       | Rajasthan         |          293.73 |         97.91 |             391.64 |
| 22       | Sikkim            |           29.03 |          3.22 |              32.25 |
| 23       | Tamil Nadu        |          280    |         93.33 |             373.33 |
| 24       | Telangana         |          142.61 |         47.53 |             190.14 |
| 25       | Tripura           |           38.15 |          4.23 |              42.38 |
| 26       | Uttar Pradesh     |          577.43 |        192.47 |             769.9  |
| 27       | Uttarakhand       |           71.03 |          7.89 |              78.92 |
| 28       | West Bengal       |          282.57 |         94.19 |             376.76 |
|          | Total             |         4499.84 |       1387.99 |            5887.83 |

***