PM announces Rs 1,500 crore aid for rain-battered Himachal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a financial assistance of Rs 1,500 crore for rain-battered Himachal Pradesh and Rs 2 lakh ex gratia for next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

The PM, who conducted an aerial survey of the worst-hit areas, also announced the advance release of the second instalment of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and PM Kisan Samman Nidhi.

Acknowledging the gravity of the situation, the PM assured that the Centre would make all efforts to address the crisis. He chaired a meeting in Kangra to review the relief and rehabilitation measures. Modi asked for a multi-dimensional view to be taken to get the entire region back on its feet. This is to be done through multiple ways such as rebuilding homes through PM Awas Yojana, restoration of national highways, rebuilding schools, provision of relief under the PMNRF along with release of mini kits for livestock.

To ensure uninterrupted education, schools will be able to report and geotag damages, enabling timely assistance under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.

Modi, who landed at the Gaggal airport after the aerial survey, was received by Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri. A presentation on the damages suffered during the monsoon was made by Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena.

The PM also met NDRF and SDRF personnel, and Aapda Mitra volunteers, appreciating their efforts in undertaking relief and restoration works.

Recognising the critical need to support the agricultural community, he said additional assistance would be provided to farmers who currently lacked power connections.

Under the PM Awas Yojana, geotagging of damaged houses will be done to help in accurate damage assessment and faster delivery of aid. The construction of recharge structures for water harvesting to help collect and store rainwater will also be done with central assistance to improve groundwater levels and support better water management. Inter-ministerial central teams have already visited Himachal Pradesh to assess the extent of damage and based on their detailed report, further assistance will be considered.

Himachal has suffered losses of more than Rs 4,500 crore while 370 persons have died and 41 are missing. A total of 136 landslides, 95 flashfloods and 45 cloudbursts have caused large-scale damage to both public infrastructure and private property since the start of the monsoon on June 20. As many as 615 roads, including four national highways, are closed while 1,748 electricity transformers and 461 water schemes remain dysfunctional.

Meanwhile, five members of a family, including two children, were killed and three others sustained serious injuries after two houses were hit by a landslide in the Nirmand area of Kullu district in Himachal Pradesh, officials said.