New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS): The government has closed down the Indian People's Natural Calamity Trust (IPNCT), created in 1900 by the erstwhile ruler of Jaipur to provide relief to people during famine.

The government transferred Rs.91 lakh in its corpus to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund for better utilisation of the amount, said an official statement from the agriculture ministry.

The decision was taken after getting consent of the representative of the erstwhile ruler of Jaipur.

The IPNCT was earlier administered under the chairmanship of the union agriculture minister with 27 nominated members and two officers.

"With the passage of time, the IPNCT seems to have outlived its utility. Since its last meeting held in August 1995, the IPNCT has no significant activity except giving donations through the Prime Minister's Relief Fund in case of natural disasters," the statement said.

Disaster management is currently being handled by the National Disaster Management Authority under the home ministry, which has sufficient budget and infrastructure, it said.