The State of Sikkim is very vulnerable to natural calamities considering that it falls under the Seismic Zone IV/V and records one of the highest annual rainfalls in the country. Every year a noticeable number of people are affected by natural disasters among which landslides, floods and river bank erosion are most frequent.

The Department is operating the State Disaster Relief Fund to which the Centre and State Share 90% and 10% of the allocation respectively earmarked for each financial year by the Finance Commission. The Department has been in the forefront in providing timely relief to the victims of all types of natural calamities that have occurred in the state in the form of ex gratia and Gratuitous relief payment. This relief is doled out from the Office of the District Collectors, Sub divisional Offices and in recent times from the Block Administrative Centre also as per standing Items and Norms of expenditure from the SDRF.

Further, we have been providing funds to most of the line Departments to take up immediate repair and restoration work of infrastructure damage due to natural calamities.

We take pride in stating that the Department has been prompt in funding most of repair/restoration of the road network maintained by the State Roads and Bridges Department that are hit by natural calamities each year. This has ensured that most of the road network in the State is restored at the earliest so that distress to the affected public is greatly reduced.

Each year the Department is dedicating upto 10 % of its annual allocation of the SDRF for purchasing Search and Rescue Equipment. Such equipment range from the State of the Art Items to basic rescue equipment. These have been provided to the Emergency Operation Centers established in the 4 District Headquarters and to the Directorate of Fire Services, Gangtok.

Quick Response Teams as first responders in an event of a Natural calamity have been formed in all the 4 districts. This comprise of 16 attendants for the East District and 8 each for all the other Districts.

As per the recommendation of the 13th Finance Commission, the nomenclature “Calamity Relief Fund” has been changed to “State Disaster Response Fund” and to administer the State Disaster Response Fund, State Disaster Management Authority has been formed in the State Level under the chairmanship of the Hon’ble Chief Minister and District Disaster Management Authority in the Districts with District Collector as the chairman. State Executive Committee has been also been formed under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary to assist in the functioning of the SDMA.

NATURAL CALAMITY (Ex‐gratia) Relief is provided to the victims of natural calamity under the Central Relief Fund as per admissible norms prescribed by the Government of India. The types of calamity and the required documents respectively are listed below:
 

Type of Calamity	Required Documents
House damage	Application for grant of relief along with verification of concerned RS and Panchayat in prescribed format
Crop Damage	Application for grant of relief along with verification of concerned VLW and Panchayat in prescribed format
Fire	Application for grant of relief along with verification of RS, POLICE or FIRE SERVICE, concerned Panchayat in prescribed format
Livestock	Application for grant of relief along with verification of concerned STOCKMAN (AH&VS) and Panchayat in prescribed format