Special relief package should be given to disaster affected people of all districts : Randhir Sharma

BJP State Media Incharge and MLA Randhir Sharma said that the BJP alleges that the current Congress government is not serious about this year’s disaster. We all know that this year’s natural disaster has caused significant damage across the state, with no district remaining untouched. To assess the severity of the situation, government records indicate that 1,736 houses have been completely damaged across the state. Over 7,000 houses have been partially damaged, and approximately 8,000 cattle sheds have collapsed. Nearly 300 people have lost their lives, while approximately 50 are missing. Despite such significant losses, the Himachal Pradesh government has shown no seriousness. During the 2023 disaster, Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Yadav announced a special relief package for the entire state, under which a provision of ₹7 lakh was made for completely damaged houses. An announcement was made to provide ₹1 lakh for partially damaged houses.

Randhir said, “But this year, a special relief package has been announced only for Mandi district. Other districts have been left out. Therefore, the Bharatiya Janata Party demands that a special relief package be provided to all districts across the state for this year’s disaster, and that relief be provided to the affected people as quickly as possible.” We allege that, like the government, Congress party leaders have also not taken the disaster seriously. Whether it’s Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Priyanka Gandhi, or Sonia Gandhi, none of the Congress party’s national leaders visited the affected people during the disaster, offered condolences, or visited the affected areas. Yet, today, they are coming as political tourists to see the beautiful valleys of Himachal Pradesh. BJP leaders took this disaster as seriously as they did in 2023. All our MPs visited the affected areas, MLAs remained busy in their constituencies, and our party’s national president, Jagat Prakash Nadda, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited the affected areas.” He met with the affected people and expressed his condolences, and the Prime Minister announced a grant of ₹1,500 crore. Furthermore, ₹136 crore has already been allocated to Himachal Pradesh under the SDRF, NDRF, and SDMF programs. If we consider this, the state has received ₹591.56 billion (5.91 billion) under the NDRF, ₹397.6 million (3.97 billion) under the SDRF, and ₹49.7 million (4.97 billion) under the SDMF. The government is still unable to spend even this ₹1,038 crore (10.38 billion). Roads are blocked and broken, yet to be repaired. Drinking water schemes are not being repaired. The government has yet to provide electricity to many villages. The Congress government is treating this disaster casually and lacking seriousness. We want to warn that government that if it does not issue a special relief package for those affected by this disaster across the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party will be forced to launch a movement.