Disaster aid by Himachal Govt ‘a drop in the ocean’, says Anurag

Former Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur on Sunday said the relief provided to disaster-affected people in the state is “a drop in the ocean” and hardly meets their needs.

Thakur visited several disaster-hit areas in Barsar Assembly constituency, accompanied by local MLA Inder Dutt Lakhanpal. The delegation toured villages including Janaehen, Samtana, Pathliyar, Banni and Pahlu, where Thakur met affected families, interacted with local representatives, assessed the damage and reviewed ongoing relief measures.

Addressing mediapersons, Thakur said, “Devbhoomi Himachal is going through an unprecedented natural disaster. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally visited the state, met victims and announced Rs 1,500 crore in financial aid as a healing touch for the suffering state.”

He added several BJP-ruled states were also contributing support to Himachal. Criticising the Congress-led state government, Thakur said its relief response was inadequate, accusing the local administration of doing “the bare minimum” in the name of disaster relief.

“It is an injustice that while each disaster-hit family needs at least seven to eight tarpaulins, the administration is distributing just one tarpaulin among 12 families. This is not disaster relief, it is an insult to the victims,” he said.

Thakur claimed in 2023, the state government had announced a relief package of Rs 4,500 crore, but only Rs 256 crore had been disbursed so far. He alleged the state government’s announcement of Rs 7 lakh compensation for destroyed homes was misleading, as it included Rs 1.5 lakh from the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Rs 1.3 lakh from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

The BJP MP said PM Modi had already approved Rs 1,550 crore in disaster assistance for Himachal Pradesh, along with Rs 2 lakh in immediate relief for the families of each deceased victim.

“Now it is the state government’s responsibility to ensure the timely and proper use of these funds so that the rightful beneficiaries receive help without delay,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Thakur also attended a district-level felicitation ceremony for ‘Chhinj’ (traditional wrestling) committees. He praised their role in preserving the state’s rich cultural heritage and promoting a healthy, disciplined lifestyle among the youth by steering them away from drugs.

Thakur stressed the need to elevate local wrestling to a professional level, saying while ‘Chhinj’ committees have organised competitions over the years, their decentralised structure has limited local wrestlers' opportunities to compete and succeed at higher levels.