Centre forms multi-sectoral panel to study Himachal disasters
PTC News Desk: The central government has directed to form a multi-sectoral panel to study the rampant natural disasters that Himachal Pradesh is grappling with. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday ordered the formation of committee to assess the reasons behind the alarming frequency with which natural disasters have been occurring in the state since past few years.
The central team will comprise experts from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, and Indian Institute of Technology Indore (IIT), Indore.
A central team that reached the state on July 18 is carrying out an on-the-ground assessment of the damage in the affected regions and will continue its survey until July 21, according to official sources.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu had recently met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to request a relief package for the state. A high-level committee led by Shah has already sanctioned ₹2,006.40 crore for recovery and reconstruction in areas impacted by the 2023 disaster, with the first instalment of ₹451.44 crore disbursed on July 7.
To aid those affected, the Centre had earlier released ₹198.80 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) on June 18 for immediate relief efforts in Himachal Pradesh.
Additionally, logistical support, including the deployment of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, the Army, and the Air Force, has been extended to all affected states.
- With inputs from agencies
