Pinarayi urges PM to restore Section 13 of Disaster Mgmt Act
T'puram: Chief minister
Pinarayi Vijayan
wrote to
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
urging the restoration of Section 13 in the Disaster Management Act, 2005, which was removed through an amendment in March 2025. In his letter, the CM said the deleted clause allowed the national authority to recommend loan waivers and simplified credit terms for disaster victims provisions that were vital for helping affected people rebuild their lives.
Calling the provision a humane safeguard, Vijayan said its removal would only worsen the plight of those already devastated by natural calamities.
The letter comes against the backdrop of the govt's recent submission in the high court that it cannot waive loans of victims of the Mundakkai–Chooralmala disaster, citing the deletion of Section 13. The CM argued that the clause was in force when Kerala submitted its first memorandum on Aug 17, 2024, as well as during the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) report submitted on Nov 13, 2024.
However, the govt amended the law only on March 29, 2025, through a gazette notification.
He pointed out that the amendment is not retrospective and questioned the govt's stance of denying aid based on a legal change that came much later. The chief minister accused the govt of deliberately adopting a stance that prevents disaster-affected people in Kerala from getting assistance, including relief from bank loan liabilities.
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He reminded the PM that it was only after the govt failed to act that the high court took suo motu cognisance of the issue.
The court clearly called for relief measures and even criticised the govt's indifference to the situation in Kerala.
Stating that the govt's approach ignores even the court's observations, Vijayan requested urgent intervention from the PM to reverse the amendment and reinstate Section 13 in the Disaster Management Act.
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