Congress Alleges Discrimination by Centre in Disaster Relief Allocation for Himachal Pradesh
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Shimla, December 15: Pradesh Congress President and Member of Parliament, Pratibha Singh, criticized the Central government for releasing a meager amount of ₹633 crores for disaster relief in the state. Accusing the BJP-led Central government of bias, Singh asserted that discriminating against Himachal Pradesh in disaster relief would not be tolerated.
Singh highlighted that the state has suffered extensive damage exceeding ₹12,000 crores due to heavy rains and landslides. She pointed out that the amount released by the Central government is part of the annual central assistance that all states receive for dealing with natural disasters.
Singh accused BJP leaders of attempting to mislead the public on disaster relief. She expressed disappointment in the negative attitude of BJP leaders towards the state’s interests. Singh acknowledged the efforts of the state government in aiding affected individuals with limited resources.
She revealed that she had raised a question in Parliament asking whether Himachal Pradesh had received any special financial assistance from the Central government due to the natural disasters. The response from the Central government indicated that they considered it the responsibility of the state governments to handle such situations. While acknowledging that the Centre had agreed to release an additional ₹200 crores under the State Disaster Relief Fund after the initial ₹180.40 crores, Singh criticized the lack of special financial aid for Himachal Pradesh.
Singh concluded by asserting that the state had not received any specific financial assistance from the Central government, contrary to the claims made by BJP leaders regarding substantial support for disaster relief.
