Shimla, July 16,
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and sought a special financial package and enhanced central assistance for the flood-ravaged hill state. Sukhu informed the Home Minister that the state had already suffered damages worth ₹1,000 crore from flash floods and cloudbursts, despite the monsoon having barely begun.
He emphasised that Himachal Pradesh has faced repeated climate-induced disasters since 2023, resulting in cumulative losses of over ₹21,000 crore in just three years. The Chief Minister said that key infrastructure—such as roads, bridges, irrigation schemes, water and power supply systems—had been severely impacted, along with loss of human lives.
Highlighting the increasing vulnerability of the state to extreme weather events, Sukhu urged the Centre to approve a 30% hike in relief norms, up from the existing 10%, to align with the difficult topography and scale of damage in the region. He also called for policy reforms to make central disaster relief guidelines more flexible and responsive to hill state conditions.
“The state government is exhausting its resources under SDRF and NDRF, but repeated disasters have made it extremely difficult to manage restoration and relief operations effectively,” said Sukhu.
The Union Home Minister reportedly assured full cooperation from the Centre and promised that all necessary assistance would be provided to aid the state’s recovery.
With the monsoon season still underway, the Himachal government fears further damage and is pushing for urgent intervention to expedite rebuilding efforts and safeguard vulnerable communities.
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