Uttar Pradesh

• 01 Mar 2024

Uttar Pradesh: First State to Have Fire Stations at Tehsil Level

Why in News?

In an event, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that Uttar Pradesh will soon become the first state in the country to have fire stations at the tehsil level.

Key Points

• During the event, the CM virtually inaugurated and laid foundation stones for 38 fire stations.
  • The UP Fire and Emergency Services was established in the state in the year 1944.
  • Until 2017, only 288 fire stations were established in the state, while in the last 7 years, over 70 new fire stations have been set up.
• CM also flagged off 35 firefighting vehicles.
• He emphasised the need to prioritise reducing response times for fire tenders to mitigate loss of life and property.
• The government also established the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) in the state.

State Disaster Response Force (SDRF)

• It constituted under Section 48 (1) (a) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, is the primary fund available with State Governments for responses to notified disasters.
• The Central Government contributes 75% of SDRF allocation for general category States/UTs and 90% for special category States/UTs (NE States, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir).
• The annual Central contribution is released in two equal installments as per the recommendation of the Finance Commission.
• SDRF shall be used only for meeting the expenditure for providing immediate relief to the victims.
• The headquarter of SDRF, Uttar Pradesh is located in Lucknow.