New Delhi, Jun 18: A High-Level Committee headed by Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah has approved `2,006.40 crore in central assistance for Himachal Pradesh to support recovery and reconstruction efforts following the devastating floods, landslides, and cloudbursts during the 2023 monsoon season. The committee, which includes Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda, and NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery, sanctioned the proposal under the Recovery and Reconstruction funding window of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). Of the total approved amount, `1,504.80 crore will come as the central government’s share.
“This significant allocation will enable the Himachal Pradesh government to rebuild critical infrastructure and restore normalcy in the regions worst hit by last year’s calamities,” the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement.
This financial support follows an earlier disbursement of `633.73 crore approved by the MHA on December 12, 2023, under the NDRF to aid Himachal Pradesh in its immediate relief operations.
The central government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, has reiterated its commitment to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with state governments during natural disasters. “The Ministry of Home Affairs, under the guidance of Shri Amit Shah, continues to work toward building a disaster-resilient India,” the ministry added, highlighting ongoing national initiatives to strengthen disaster risk reduction mechanisms.
In addition to Himachal Pradesh, the central government has recently cleared recovery assistance packages for other disaster-affected states. This includes `1,658.17 crore for Uttarakhand in the aftermath of land subsidence in Joshimath, and `555.27 crore for Sikkim following a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) in 2023.
A broader push toward disaster mitigation has also seen the approval of hazard-specific projects totalling ₹7,253.51 crore. These include ₹3,075.65 crore for urban flood management, ₹1,000 crore for landslide mitigation, ₹150 crore for GLOFs, ₹818.92 crore for forest fire management, ₹186.78 crore for lightning protection, and ₹2,022.16 crore for drought preparedness. These funds are in addition to the allocations made to states through the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and various mitigation funds. For FY 2024–25, the Centre has already released ₹20,264.40 crore to 28 states under SDRF and ₹5,160.76 crore under NDRF to 19 states. A further ₹4,984.25 crore has been disbursed from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) and ₹719.72 crore from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) to support long-term risk reduction.
