The Central Government has told the Kerala High Court that it cannot offer a loan waiver to those affected by the Wayanad landslides, as the relevant provision in the Disaster Management Act has been removed through the Disaster Management (Amendment) Act, 2025.

This clarification came in an affidavit submitted in response to the High Court’s suo motu proceedings initiated after the devastating landslides in Wayanad on July 30, 2024. The Court has repeatedly urged the authorities to consider providing loan relief to the victims.

Earlier, on April 10, the High Court had directed the Union Government and the National Disaster Management Authority to examine whether the circumstances in Wayanad warranted a loan waiver under Section 13 of the Disaster Management Act.

Section 13, in its original form, allowed the National Authority to propose relief measures such as repayment waivers or concessional loans for victims of large-scale disasters. However, the Centre has now told the Court that “this provision is no more in the statute.”
(With Live Law Inputs)