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Lt Col Shelke to be honoured for work during Wayanad landslides
Lt Col Shelke to be honoured for work during Wayanad landslides
New Delhi, Lieutenant Colonel Seeta Ashok Shelke of Indian Army, who ran several high-risk rescue missions under adverse weather conditions in Kerala's Wayanad during the 2024 floods and landslides, has been selected for the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2026 in individual category.
The Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority has won the award in the institutional category for significantly strengthening disaster preparedness and response by deploying 1,185 trained Aapda Mitras as disaster management officials since its inception in 2005, a government statement said on Friday.
The nominations for the award were solicited from May 1, 2025 onwards. In response, 271 nominations were received from institutions and individuals.
Lt Col Shelke was chosen for running large-scale Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations in Wayanad.
During the floods and landslides in 2024, Shelke supervised construction of a 190-foot Bailey Bridge at Chooralmala, within four hours in night restoring vital connectivity to remote villages.
She used innovative engineering solutions such as using a Komatsu PC210 excavator as a counterweight to build the footover bridge.
Using Corps of Engineers skills, she enabled quick construction of bridges, access routes, and shelters in remote disaster-hit areas, supporting relief and recovery.
"She coordinated with civil authorities and local leaders to ensure rapid evacuation, relief distribution, and restoration of essential services.Lieutenant Colonel Seeta Ashok Shelke directed multiple high-risk rescue missions under adverse weather conditions, saving hundreds of civilians," the statement said.
By mobilising 150 tons of equipment, Shelke led operations that benefited thousands through timely relief and recovery efforts, it said.
The officer trained over 2,300 personnel in disaster response and humanitarian operations and brought disaster risk reduction into action through her engineering service, it said.
"Her work reflects practical leadership and the growing role of women in operational DRR," it said.
Established in 2005, the SSDMA was chosen for the award for strengthening disaster preparedness and response in the state.
SSDMA deployed 1,185 trained Aapda Mitras as Disaster Management officials in three tiers at village level, at block headquarters, and at district headquarters.
With disaster management assistants posted in all gram panchayats, participatory planning, capacity-building initiatives, and panchayat-level committees have enhanced resilience to disasters and climate risks across all six districts, the statement said.
"During critical events such as the 2016 Mantam landslide and the 2023 Teesta floods, SSDMA's real-time coordination and trained first responders enabled the rescue of 2,563 people and reduced loss of life and damage," it said.
The Authority institutionalised a proactive, community-centred disaster risk reduction approach and created a sustainable, scalable, and replicable model of community-centred disaster resilience, particularly relevant for other Himalayan and North Eastern states, it said.
The Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar has been set up by the government to recognise and honour invaluable contribution and selfless service rendered by individuals and organisations in India in the field of disaster management, the statement said.
"Under the guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the country has significantly improved its disaster management practices, preparedness, mitigation and response mechanisms resulting in significant reduction in mortalities during natural disasters," it said.
The award is announced every year on January 23, the birth anniversary of Bose.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
