Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu distributed Rs 31-crore financial assistance among 3,800 disaster-affected families of the district Mandi in the first phase, under the ‘Rehabilitation’ scheme.

Under the special relief package, he provided Rs 3 lakh each as the first installment for reconstruction of completely damaged houses and the entire amount of compensation to other affected people.

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Speaking on the occasion, Sukhu noted that Himachal Pradesh had suffered huge losses like never before, due to torrential rains, landslides and floods during Monsoon season this year.

“The present state government is the government of the common man and poor and recognizes their pain and sufferings very well,” he said, adding that the state government does not work on political considerations, but takes decisions on humanitarian grounds.

Relief and rescue operations were undertaken in every affected area without any discrimination or political alignment of the public representatives of the area concerned, he added.

Sukhu said he had repeatedly urged the Central government to declare the disaster as a national disaster and demanded a special relief package for Himachal Pradesh to overcome this disaster. However, till date no financial assistance has been received as a special relief package, he lamented.

He said that Congress MP Pratibha Singh also met the Prime Minister and demanded to help Himachal Pradesh in this hour of disaster.

“Not only this, even when a resolution was brought during the  recently concluded Assembly session to declare the disaster in Himachal Pradesh as a national disaster, the BJP MLAs did not respond positively for the betterment of the affected people of the state,” he rued.

The chief minister said that to help the disaster affected people, the State Government has created a Aapda Rahat Kosh in which a historic Rs 230 crore have been contributed by the various organizations and individuals, which reflects the humanitarian approach of the people of the state.

“Each section of the society came forward to donate, even children donated their piggy banks towards Aapda Rahat Kosh,” said the chief minister.

He said that the state government has so far sent claims worth Rs 10,000 crore to the Central government and the process of  submitting  remaining claims worth Rs 2,000 crore is underway.

Congress State President and MP Pratibha Singh appreciated the efforts of the state government and especially Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu for effectively tackling the unprecedented situation created by the disaster.

She lauded the decision of the state government for providing a package of Rs 4,500 crore for the disaster affected people. She said she has written a letter to all the BJP MPs urging them to meet the PM in the hour of disaster, but no BJP MP responded to it.