DW BUREAU / Shimla

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said here today that over 22,000 disaster affected families have received financial assistance for their rehabilitation, benefitting from the State Government's Special Relief Package of Rs. 4,500 crore. He said that 2,968 families have received the first installment of Rs. 3 lakh for completely damaged houses and the remaining Rs. 4 lakh would be provided soon. "The assistance package has been released as per the revised norms under which the financial aid was increased manifold by the government," stated the Chief Minister.

He added that more than 10,000 families have been provided assistance to repair their partially damaged houses and 3,648 beneficiaries have received the aid to repair damaged gaushalas. Furthermore, around 1,800 families have been compensated for the loss of livestock.

Sukhu added that in addition to the financial aid released for damaged houses, gaushalas or livestock loss, the State Government has also extended assistance to the farmers for their crop loss and damages to cultivable land, benefitting around 2,600 farmers from the decision. Owners of damaged 507 shops and dhabas have also been compensated which has proved immensely beneficial for restoration of their business, he remarked. "During last year's monsoon season, Himachal Pradesh witnessed one of the state's worst ever disaster triggered by the unprecedented rainfall resulting in flash floods and landslides. The people, however, didn't succumb and rather put a brave face to overcome the challenging situation and started rebuilding, showcasing the best example of a unyielding willpower. The State Government did it best to provide succour to the affected families and announced a special relief package of Rs. 4500 crore despite having limited financial resources as not even a single penny was provided by the Union Government," the Chief Minister said.

Under the special relief package, the government has significantly increased the financial support to the affected families. The financial assistance for various categories, including housing, livestock and livelihood support, has been increased manifold, marking an unprecedented bold step in the history of Himachal. Assistance for the reconstruction of the completely damaged house was raised from Rs. 1.30 lakh to Rs. 7 lakh, for partially damaged kutcha house from Rs. 6,000 to Rs. One lakh, for the loss of shop or dhaba Rs. 25000 to Rs. one lakh and for the loss of cow sheds from Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 50,000.

Sh. Sukhu further added that the government was also providing assistance of Rs. 5000 per month and Rs. 10,000 per month in rural and urban areas, respectively, for renting accommodation to ensure that everyone has a safe place to live.
(editor@dailyworld.in)