Congress says Himachal yet to receive ₹1,500-cr disaster package, hits out at Nadda
BJP national president JP Nadda had accused the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government of mismanagement, corruption and failure to properly utilise funds released by the Centre during his visit to Shimla
Slamming Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Himachal Pradesh tribal development minister Jagat Singh Negi on Sunday said months have passed since the announcement of a special relief package for Himachal by the Prime Minister but the state is yet to receive the amount.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a package of ₹1,500 crore for the relief and rehabilitation of the disaster hit families, but months have passed and the state has not received the amount till yet.”
Negi’s statement comes after JP Nadda had accused the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government of mismanagement, corruption and failure to properly utilise funds released by the Centre.
He also blamed the BJP national president JP Nadda for not taking up the issues of Himachal despite being from the state.
“BJP national president JP Nadda is sitting at the helm of affairs in a position to help the people of the state. While we are happy to see him there, it pains to see when the interests of the states are not taken up vigorously with the Centre.”
Voicing Negi’s concerns, panchayati raj minister Anirudh Singh said, “ ₹9,200 crore deposited under the National Pension Scheme (NPS) has been withheld by the Union government. Himachal’s borrowing limit was reportedly curtailed by ₹1,600 crore after the state government decided to implement the OPS, causing a total loss of ₹4,800 crore to the state over the past three years.”
Training guns at Centre, the duo blamed the central government for Himachal’s financial mess saying that the reduction of the Revenue Deficit Front (RDG) – which is provided by the Centre to states to cover gaps in their revenue accounts. It has fallen from ₹10,949 crore in 2021-22 to ₹3,257 crore in 2025-26.
The state’s 2023 monsoon loss was pegged at around ₹9,000-9,500 crore by an assessment by the Centre, they said, adding, the Himachal government submitted a claim of ₹9,042 crore under the PDNA framework for recovery and reconstruction efforts.
However, the state is still awaiting the full amount of nearly ₹10,000 crore under the PDNA, along with a separate ₹1,500 crore package announced earlier, they said. “The state, from its own resources, provided a package of ₹4,500 crore to the disaster-affected without any special package announced by the Centre,” they added.
Nadda’s claims completely misleading: Vinay
Himachal Pradesh Congress president Vinay Kumar has termed the statements made by BJP chief Nadda as “baseless and completely misleading”.
He said that Nadda should clarify with figures the money given by the Centre to the state and under which scheme.
Kumar said that the central government has not sent a single rupee to Himachal in the name of disaster relief till date. Three months ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a disaster relief amount, but that has not yet been received by the state government. It takes approximately 96 hours to reach Shimla from Delhi on foot but more than 90 days have passed since the BJP made this announcement and the state is still waiting for the amount.
Taking a dig at Nadda’s pitch for “double engine” government, state Congress president said that earlier there was a so-called “double engine government” in the state, but even then, the BJP’s claims proved to be completely hollow. This is why the state’s economy was completely ruined during the BJP’s rule.
Further targeting the saffron party, Kumar said the BJP only engages in politics of announcements and empty promises, while the Congress and the state government are standing firmly with the people in this time of disaster.
Congress suffering from ‘Nadda phobia’: Satpal Satti
Former BJP state president and Una MLA Satpal Satti strongly reacted to the statement of state Congress president Vinay Kumar, saying that the Congress party is now completely afflicted with “Jagat Prakash Nadda phobia”.
He said that Congress is so rattled by Nadda’s visit to Shimla and his clear and factual statements that it is now resorting to lies, confusion, and misinformation.
Satpal Satti said that the ₹1,500 crore assistance announced by PM Modi is under process and will be released as per rules, not under any political pressure or rhetoric.
He said that before questioning the “double engine government”, Congress should explain why the economic condition of the state has worsened during the tenure of the current government. “Today, Himachal’s debt burden has reached a historic level, liabilities of employees and pensioners are pending, and development work has come to a standstill. This is not the result of BJP’s policies, but of Congress’s policy failures,” Satti added.
