Himachal Cabinet approves relief package for disaster-hit families

Shimla: Even as the Central government deliberates financial aid for families hit by recent natural calamities, the Himachal Pradesh Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, has proactively cleared a comprehensive relief package for households affected by heavy monsoon rains, flash floods, landslides, and cloudbursts.

The package significantly enhances compensation rates. For a fully damaged house, relief has been raised from Rs 1.3 lakh to Rs 7 lakh, while aid for partially damaged houses has jumped from Rs 12,500 to Rs 1 lakh. Assistance for damaged shops and dhabas has been increased tenfold, from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1 lakh, and compensation for cowsheds has been hiked from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000. Tenants will now receive Rs 50,000 for damaged belongings, while owners will get Rs 70,000. For livestock losses, the state will provide Rs 55,000 per large milch animal (up from Rs 37,500) and Rs 9,000 per goat, pig, sheep, or lamb (up from Rs 4,000). Compensation for damaged polyhouses is fixed at Rs 25,000, while de-silting aid for homes is Rs 50,000. Relief for agriculture and horticulture losses has risen to Rs 10,000 per bigha, with de-silting and crop loss rates now Rs 6,000 and Rs 3,000 per bigha, respectively.

Expressing grief over lives lost in recent disasters, the Cabinet thanked the NDRF, SDRF, Army, Police, Home Guards, and NGOs for relief efforts.

The Cabinet also approved the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Van Samvardhan Yojna’, a Rs 100-crore, five-year scheme promoting community-led forest conservation. Mahila Mandals, Yuvak Mandals, and self-help groups will receive up to Rs 1.2 lakh per hectare for plantation, with incentives tied to sapling survival rates.

Other decisions include expanding seats in paramedical courses at IGMC Shimla and RPGMC Tanda, allotting land to Milkfed for a new processing plant at Rohru, and granting 50% motor vehicle tax concessions for scrapping pre-BIS, BS-I, and BS-II vehicles.