HP minister seeks increased financial assistance from Centre for disaster recovery

Bilaspur, January 14 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani on Wednesday demanded an increase in financial assistance to the state in the upcoming budget from the Centre, citing vulnerability and damage caused by disasters.

Talking to the media persons, he said that Himachal Pradesh has been placed in the highly vulnerable 'Category-6' in terms of earthquakes.

"In the future, the cost of constructing buildings based on earthquake-resistant technology in the state will increase by approximately 20 to 25 per cent. Due to the ongoing environmental imbalance at the global level, Himachal Pradesh is constantly facing natural disasters. In such a situation, a demand has been made to the central government to provide generous financial assistance for reconstruction work and compensation for the damage caused by disasters," he said.

The minister said that the amount of revenue deficit grant received by the state through the 15th Finance Commission has decreased from Rs 11,432 crore to Rs 3,257 crore, causing significant financial losses to the state.

He said that recently, in a meeting with the Union finance minister in Delhi, he raised several important issues related to the state's interests and urged for appropriate decisions.

He also raised important issues with the central government, including increasing financial assistance to the state in the 16th Finance Commission, returning the contributions of NPS employees to the state, providing Himachal Pradesh's share in the BBMB project, and handing over the Shanan hydroelectric project to the state. PTI COR APL APL