Amit Shah orders formation of multi-sector team on Himachal disasters

Union Minister of Home and Cooperation Amit Shah has ordered formation of a multi-sector Central team for Himachal Pradesh in view of the increased frequency and intensity of natural disasters in the state.

In a recent meeting chaired by the Union home minister, it was noted that the state has witnessed an increase in the frequency and intensity of cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides and torrential rainfall, causing widespread loss of life, damage to infrastructure, livelihoods and environmental degradation in the state, according to an official release issued here on Sunday.

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Shah ordered the constitution of the Central team comprising experts from National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) Roorkee, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) Pune, Geologist, and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, it said.

Further, in the wake of floods, flash floods and landslides during southwest monsoon in different parts of Himachal Pradesh, the Central government has already deputed an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) in advance, without waiting for their memorandum, for on-the-spot first-hand assessment of the damages. IMCT is visiting the affected areas of the State from 18-21 July 2025.

The Central government stands firmly with the states in times of disasters without any discrimination, the document asserted.

In this direction, a high-level committee chaired by the Union home and cooperation minister has already approved an outlay of Rs 2006.40 crore to Himachal Pradesh for recovery and reconstruction in areas affected by disasters like floods, landslides and cloudbursts for the year 2023, and has also released first instalment of Rs 451.44 crore on July 7.

Further, in order to support the affected people of the state, the government has released the first instalment of its share of Rs 198.80 crore for Himachal Pradesh from State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for relief measures of immediate nature.

It has also provided all logistic assistance to all states, including deployment of requisite National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, Army teams and Air Force support. Total 13 teams of NDRF are deployed in the State for rescue and relief operations.