NEW DELHI: The Centre today approved the release of Rs 200 crore as advance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to the Himachal Pradesh Government to help the state undertake relief measures for those affected by disasters caused by excessive rain and cloudbursts, officials said.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved the release of Rs 200 crore as advance from the NDRF to Himachal Pradesh,” a senior official of the ministry said.
In a statement, the MHA said, “The Centre is monitoring the situation in Himachal round the clock, and providing necessary logistics and financial help to the state to deal with the situation efficiently.”
It said 20 NDRF teams, nine columns of the Army and three teams of IAF helicopters were deployed in Himachal for rescue and relief work.
The MHA said, “The Centre, without waiting for memorandum, has also deputed inter-ministerial central teams to make an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and relief work being carried out by the state government, which visited affected areas from July 19 to 21.”
On Saturday, Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had visited Delhi and stated that the state had suffered a loss worth Rs 10,000 crore and it would take around a year to rebuild it again.
The CM had stated, “The government is getting help from the entire country. The Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh governments have provided Rs 15 crore and Rs 11 crore, respectively, as relief.”