State got only Rs 4,253 crore from Centre in 5 years: Chauhan

Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan today said that the state had received Rs 4,253 crore over the past five years through the National Disaster Response Fund, State Disaster Response Fund, National Disaster Mitigation Fund and the State Disaster Mitigation Fund.

He slammed BJP leaders for giving “inflated” figures regarding the Central Government’s assistance to Himachal and said, “BJP leaders Jai Ram Thakur, Kangana Ranaut and others keep trying to create an impression that the state has received liberal help from the Central Government to cope with twin disasters in three years. Figures like Rs 10,000 crore and more are floated. The truth is that the state has received just Rs 4,253 crore since 2021 under the Disaster Management Act,” he added.

Chauhan said that the state had not even received Rs 2,006 crore that the Central Government had announced as the Post Disaster Need Assessment (PDNA) amount for damage suffered by the state in 2023. “The state has received just Rs 500 crore so far. Also, the state will have to give 25 per cent of the total amount. So, the state will get just Rs 1,500 crore from the Central Government as the PDNA amount two years after the tragedy,” he added.

The minister said that the financial assistance of Rs 1,500 crore announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi following his aerial survey of damage this year had also not been released so far. “If the Central Government really wants to help the state, this assistance should come in a untied form. Also, if the Central Government can’t release it in one go, it should at least release Rs 500 crore immediately,” he added.