Thiruvananthapuram, Jan. 27 -- Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan detailed the disbursement and management of the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) while speaking at the Kerala Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.

Addressing the House during the question hour of the 16th session of the 15th Assembly, the Chief Minister said, "Rs 5,715.92 crore was disbursed from the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund during 2016-21, while Rs 2,569.15 crore has been sanctioned in the 2021-26 period so far."

He added that although financial assistance had been approved during the 2011-16 period, nearly 29,930 applications remained pending at the time. "It was the government that came to power in 2016 that released Rs 36.40 crore to clear th...