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FM promises special grant to disaster-hit Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu says there is no mention of the amount the state will get, dubs the budget as a ‘political compulsion to appease allies’
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced financial assistance to states including Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Uttarakhand and Sikkim which have suffered losses due to floods and other natural calamities.
Himachal Pradesh, which suffered major losses due to floods last year, would be provided aid through multilateral development assistance, Sitharaman said during her budget speech in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Last year, heavy rains triggered floods and landslides in the hill state in which around 550 people died during the monsoon season. The Himachal Pradesh government has requested the Centre to release ₹9,042 crore as financial assistance following a post-disaster assessment carried out by a central team.
“Himachal Pradesh suffered extensive losses due to floods last year and our government would provide assistance to the state for reconstruction and rehabilitation through multilateral development assistance,” Sitharaman said.
Reacting to the announcement, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the Centre had again disappointed Himachal Pradesh by ignoring its long pending demands.
CM Sukhu said the state had repeatedly raised its demands for financial assistance for road, air and rail connectivity but it was unfortunate that none of them had been given any attention.
“Knowing well that Himachal Pradesh suffered enormously during the disaster last year, but instead of assurances and promises made in the budget nothing concrete has been announced in the name of the relief package. Himachal had requested a release of ₹9,042 crore as financial assistance following a post-disaster assessment. It was expected that Himachal would be given direct assistance on the pattern of Assam, Sikkim and Uttarakhand. Although an announcement has been made for assistance to cope with losses due to the monsoon last year, there is no mention of how much aid the state would get,” Sukhu said.
He said the state had urged to release of a sum of ₹3500 crore under capital investment for Kangra airport which was not only important from a tourism point of view but also for the defence of the nation. He added that despite strong recommendations, a special grant for the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh has also been denied.
Terming the budget “inequitable”, he highlighted several key areas of concern and called for immediate revisions to address the needs of the wider population of the state.
Welcoming the announcement of assistance for disaster relief, the leader of Opposition and former CM Jai Ram Thakur, said, “The Central government’s support for the reconstruction of the damage caused by the disaster in Himachal will be no less than a boon for the people.”
Former HP CM Prem Kumar Dhumal also welcomed the move as it will aid in assisting in reconstruction and rehabilitation.
The state received three spells of very heavy rains last year. It received 223.9 mm of rain from July 8 to July 12 against the normal of 42.2 mm, 111.2 mm from August 11 to August 14 against the normal of 41.7 mm, an excess of 167 per cent, and 54.4 mm from August 22 to August 24 against the normal of 21 mm, an excess of 159%.
Addressing rallies in Himachal Pradesh during the Lok Sabha poll campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had accused the state government of selectively distributing the central aid meant for the victims of last year’s floods and promised to find out where did the money go once he returned to power.
