Budget 2024: Flood assistance announced for Himachal, Uttarakhand, Sikkim

In her budget address, Sitharaman announced that Himachal Pradesh will get multilateral development assistance from the Centre

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced financial assistance to Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim which have suffered losses due to floods and subsequent landslides.

Sikkim witnessed devastating flash floods and landslides that wreaked havoc across the state. (PTI photo)

In her budget address, Sitharaman announced that Himachal Pradesh will get multilateral development assistance from the Centre.

However, Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu expressed his disappointment over the announcement saying they were expecting money under Post-Disaster Need Assessment.

“We were hopeful that we would get the Post-Disaster Need Assessment (PDNA). For Uttarakhand and Sikkim, they announced that the Central government will provide assistance but for Himachal they have used ‘multilateral development assistance which we have to interpret,” he said.

The CM said that the Centre should give a special financial package of ₹9,000 crore, which was earlier sought.

Sukhu, who recently met union home minister Amit Shah, had requested release ₹9,042 crore as financial assistance under the post-disaster assessment done by the central team after the state witnessed one of the state’s worst disasters during last year’s monsoon.

The leader of opposition in the Himachal assembly and BJP leader Jai Ram Thakur praised the central government for their support.

“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 who have been waiting for relief since the disaster”, he said.

The three spells of excessive rain in July and August 2023 had resulted in death of over 500 people and was Himachal’s one of the worst disasters in the past 100 years.

The state government, which said it had allocated ₹4,500 crore as part of a special aid for the flood victims from its own coffers, has repeatedly accused the BJP-led central government of not announcing a special relief package for Himachal Pradesh and declaring the calamity a “national disaster”.

Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami welcomed the relief announcement saying the “damage caused by disasters in the state will not hinder pace of development.”

“I have full faith that this budget will create new vistas in the history of social, economic and cultural development of the nation,” Dhami said.

Congress state president Karan Mahara, however, said the budget had nothing for the same as they were expecting special package for Joshimath.

Sikkim

Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang also echoed similar sentiments to that of Uttarakhand CM hoping that the state gets enough money for rebuilding the damage caused due to floods.

Apart from the three Himalayan states, the finance minister also announced flood relief funds for Bihar and Assam.

For Bihar, financial support for projects with estimated cost of ₹11,500 crore such as the Kosi-Mechi intra-state link and 20 other ongoing and new schemes including barrages has been provided.

Sitharaman said the central government will help Assam with flood management and related projects.