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CM Sukhu disburses ₹81 crore in disaster relief to 5k beneficiaries
During the event, the Chief Minister presented a cheque of ₹7.95 lakh to Nikita, a young girl who lost her parents in the floods at Panglyur in the Seraj Assembly constituency. He also announced an additional financial assistance of ₹21 lakh for her
Providing significant relief to disaster-affected families, chief minister (CM) Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday distributed ₹ 81.28 crore to 4,914 beneficiaries through direct benefit transfer (DBT) during a function held at Paddal Ground, Mandi.
A total of 1,513 beneficiaries whose houses were completely damaged received the first installment of ₹4 lakh each out of ₹7 lakh. Among them, 781 beneficiaries are from Mandi district, 631 from Kullu and 101 from Bilaspur. Additionally, 3,401 beneficiaries whose houses were partially damaged received ₹1 lakh each, including 1,547 from Mandi, 1,541 from Kullu and 313 from Bilaspur District.
So far, ₹14.46 crore in relief assistance has already been distributed to 4,375 affected families in Mandi district. The state government is currently implementing 27 disaster mitigation projects in Mandi with a total outlay of ₹72 crore. Furthermore, the State Executive Committee has approved five more projects estimated at ₹18.84 crore, while proposals for seven additional mitigation projects are being prepared.
During the event, the Chief Minister presented a cheque of ₹7.95 lakh to Nikita, a young girl who lost her parents in the floods at Panglyur in the Seraj Assembly constituency. He also announced an additional financial assistance of ₹21 lakh for her. He said that daughters like Nikita are not alone anymore and the state government stands with them.
‘No financial aid of ₹1,500 crore received from centre’
CM Sukhu while addressing a gathering at Paddal Ground at Mandi on Monday, announced that the financial assistance for those who lost their belongings during natural disasters would be raised from ₹70,000 to ₹1 lakh.
Despite limited resources, the state government was steadfastly moving toward making Himachal Pradesh a self-reliant state. He stressed that “Atmanirbhar Himachal” was not a political slogan but the passion and commitment of his government. The state had adopted 6,000 orphan children as “Children of the State” and was providing financial assistance for the higher education of widow’s children. He added that government was making every possible effort to assist disaster-affected families from its limited resources in view of the widespread destruction this year.
The CM said, “Building a house takes a lifetime for a family, how can ₹1.30 lakh be enough as compensation? The Union Government provides only this amount for rebuilding a house, but I come from a common family and understand the common people’s plight. That is why we raised the compensation for fully damaged houses from ₹1.30 lakh to ₹7 lakh and encased assistance to ₹1 lakh for partially damaged houses.”
Accusing the BJP of politicising relief efforts, the Sukhu said that it would have been better if all the BJP MLAs from Mandi district had attended the event despite being invited. “The BJP leaders are insensitive to the suffering of the common man and their only aim is to do politics and spread lies”, he remarked.
He stated that even two months after the Prime Minister’s announcement, Himachal Pradesh had not received any financial help. “I am ready to go to Delhi under the leadership of Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda. I have no ego, my only goal is to help disaster victims,” he said. The Chief Minister reiterated his repeated requests to the Centre to allow the rehabilitation of disaster-affected families on forest land.
Sukhu said that in the year 2023, the state government had provided assistance to 28,311 disaster-affected people. “At that time, I had not been Chief Minister for long, but we faced the disaster together. When 300 tourists were stranded in Chandertal lake, Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi himself went there in a JCB machine to rescue them. This shows the sensitivity of the Congress Government,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that the state government was working to strengthen the rural economy. The procurement price for cow’s milk had been raised to ₹51 per litre and for buffalo’s milk to ₹61 per litre. The government was also procuring naturally grown wheat, maize, barley and raw turmeric from farmers to enhance their income. The present government earned ₹450 crore in a single year by auctioning liquor contracts transparently, whereas the previous BJP government misused public funds.
Sukhu inaugurates govt college building in Panarsa
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday inaugurated the newly constructed building of government college Panarsa in Mandi district, constructed at a cost of ₹13.14 crore.
Speaking on this occasion, the Chief Minister stated that education was one of the top priorities of the state government and it was continuously striving to promote quality education through systemic changes. He said the objective of opening new institutions should not be merely to construct buildings, but to ensure that students receive quality education, gain self-confidence and could face the future challenges boldly.
He stated that the state government had made extensive reforms in basic education in the last three years. A separate Directorate of School Education had been established to provide quality education from first to 12th class. It was a matter of great contentment that with the consistent efforts of the state government, Himachal Pradesh had moved from 21st rank in the country to 5th in the field of education. The English-medium had been introduced from the first grade and 100 schools were being established following the CBSE pattern in the state, of which 40 had already been affiliated. This step was aimed at providing quality education to the children in rural areas.
The Chief Minister said that the state government had also established a separate Directorate at the college level and was currently pursuing structural changes in higher education. He said that sometimes, tough decisions had to be taken for reform, which might seem difficult at first, but they would go a long way in benefiting the general public. He said that education could no longer remain limited to traditional forms and a technology-based education system was essential to meet future challenges.
