CM Sukhu meets Shah, seeks enhanced central aid for rain-hit Himachal

New Delhi: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah here and demanded enhanced central aid for the state badly affected by flash floods and cloudbursts during the monsoon season.

Sukhu also called on Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and sought support for the reconstruction of damaged roads in the state.

During the meeting with Shah, the chief minister sought more funds for restoration of damaged infrastructure in the hill state and also demanded 30 per cent hike in relief norms, and policy reforms for relief aid.

He apprised Shah of the damages amounting to around Rs 1,000 crore that the state has suffered due to flash floods and cloudbursts even as monsoon had begun.

Sukhu said that precious lives were lost and key infrastructure including roads, bridges, buildings, irrigation schemes, water supply schemes and electricity supply systems had been severely affected during this disaster.

The chief minister requested liberal support from the Central government for relief and restoration works. He further said that natural disasters had become a recurring phenomenon since 2023 and the state had incurred cumulative losses of approximately Rs 21,000 crore over the last three years, a statement from the state government said.

Sukhu added that the state government was making every effort to provide relief to the affected people through the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).

However, due to the repeated occurrence of such disasters, it had become increasingly difficult for the state to undertake restoration works and rebuild infrastructure with its limited resources, he said.

The chief minister pointed out that the existing guidelines fixed by the Central government regarding the sanctioning of relief and restoration activities were inadequate, considering the difficult topographical conditions of the state.

He asked for amendments in the existing norms, specifically raising the current limit from 10 per cent to 30 per cent, which would provide significant support to the state in its relief and restoration efforts.

"I discussed the disaster that has struck Himachal Pradesh with the Union Home Minister. He told me that he will be visiting the state soon and has directed the concerned secretary to study the cloudburst incidents and the impacts of climate change in Himachal Pradesh.

"A team from the Centre will be visiting the state soon to assess the damage caused by the disaster. I have also requested a special relief package. The Union Home Minister has assured that further steps will be taken once the team submits its report," Sukhu later told reporters after the meeting.

VIDEO | Delhi: After meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (@SukhuSukhvinder) says, "I discussed the disaster that has struck Himachal Pradesh with the Union Home Minister. He informed me that he will be visiting the state soon and… pic.twitter.com/bEKKQjvrk7

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 15, 2025

Earlier, Sukhu called on Union minister Gadkari and sought support for the reconstruction of roads damaged due to the recent rainfall and flash floods in the state.

Sukhu also updated the Union minister about the delays in various national highway projects and requested to start construction work at the earliest.

Since the onset of monsoon on June 20, Himachal has witnessed 31 flash floods, 22 cloudbursts, and 18 landslides, causing widespread damage to infrastructure and property in the state.

The chief minister also apprised Gadkari of the massive damage caused by the flash floods in the state, and urged him for including few roads in the PM Gati Shakti Yojana.

The Chief Minister's Office said in a statement that Sikhu also stressed upon adopting tunnelling in the national highway projects and discussed about the roads of strategic importance and urged for speedy action on them.

He also urged him for sanctioning more ropeway projects for the state to ease traffic congestion.

Sukhu also met the chairman of the 16th Finance Commission, Arvind Panagariya, on Tuesday and sought the panel's cooperation to strengthen the state's financial condition.

He also requested the commission for the creation of a separate 'Green Fund' with an earmarked annual allocation for hill states.

The chief minister said that this issue was earlier discussed with the prime minister too, the statement said.