Himachal disaster: Seeking Central aid, NGOs ask Modi to reevaluate development model

Counterview Desk
Asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to urgently declare the ongoing emergency situation in Himachal Pradesh as a national disaster / calamity of rare severity and provision for Central level assistance to the State, several NGOs and concerned citizens have said that heavy rainfall, floods and landslides has forced the State to struggle to mitigate the situation “without the required support from the Central government”.
Stating that the delay in Central aid is unfair for long term rehabilitation for a large number of families already displaced, their statement says, the State has insufficient funds to provide quick relief and rehabilitation of the people. At the same time, it adds, there should be “long-term thorough re-evaluation of development projects and policies in the Himalayan region” which are said to be reason behind the disaster.

Text:

We, the undersigned Civil Society Organisations and affected people's organizations of Himachal Pradesh, urgently bring to your attention the grave and distressing situation currently unfolding in our state. We implore you to consider the immediate declaration of this situation as a "National Disaster / Calamity of Rare Severity" under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act of 2005. We base this request on the following critical points:
The Disaster Management Act 2005 defines a disaster as encompassing substantial loss of life, human suffering, damage to property, or degradation of the environment. The current situation meets all these conditions. (Presently, there exists no specific legal or executive criteria that allows for the declaration of a natural calamity as a national disaster. This was also noted in the Standing Committee report to the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation). Nonetheless, the 10th Finance Commission after examining a similar proposal left the definition of "calamity of rare severity" open for case-by-case evaluation.
The State of Himachal Pradesh is currently grappling with an unprecedented disaster scenario. For the past one month, more than half of the population has been living under constant life threats due to heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides. The floods across Beas valley were the starting point of this large-scale disaster now unfolding across several districts of the state. Thousands of buildings have been destroyed partially or completely, hundreds of lives have been lost, and thousands of families have been forced to abandon their homes, seeking refuge in temporary shelters or with relatives.

The situation is dire, with approximately 2000 roads severely damaged, and both government and private property suffering significant losses. Preliminary estimates suggest that the state is facing a staggering loss of more than Rs 10,000 crore, which is unprecedented. In the face of this calamity of rare severity, the state of Himachal Pradesh is struggling to mitigate the situation without the required support from the Central Government, which might lead to delay in instant aid and unfairness in long term rehabilitation for a large number of families. In this scenario SDRF funds would not be sufficient to provide quick relief and rehabilitation for people of our state.

Taking cues from the stance of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which released only a meagre funds to assist various states affected by floods, landslide and cloudburst disaster during 2022, we believe that the intensity and magnitude of disasters in Himachal have far surpassed the State Government’s capacity; and that funds for relief and rehabilitation in the current situation at SDRF level are nearly 5% of the total loss thus there is urgent need to transfer 100% funds (Rs. 10000 crore) of total damaged assessed by the state government directly from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) immediately, and if required from the National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF), which would be more appropriate and urgently needed in this grave hour.
Therefore, we strongly request
i) Immediate and adequate assistance, both in terms of funds and other resources, from the Central Government to support the State's efforts in recovery and reconstruction in the aftermath of this catastrophe
ii) Assistance to the state for a full and complete assessment of public, commons and private loss and damages and issue directions for rehabilitation of impacted communities with priority to those who have been rendered landless and shelter less.

iii) To immediately give appropriate directions to concerns that, disaster risk assessment is mandatory for all developmental activities based on Disaster Risk Zonation Maps made by the SDMA.
iv) Long-term thorough re-evaluation of development projects and policies in the Himalayan region as serious lessons to be taken for future activities. From the perspective of Himalayan communities, this approach can help emphasize the critical nature of the current developmental challenges in Himachal Pradesh and advocate for a more resilient and sustainable path forward.
We earnestly hope that you will consider our urgent request and take the necessary measures to alleviate the ongoing crisis in our beautiful state.

---

Click here for signatories

Comments

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

'Batteries now cheap enough for solar to meet India's 90% demand': Expert quotes Ember study

By A Representative Shankar Sharma, Power & Climate Policy Analyst, has urged India’s top policymakers to reconsider the financial and ecological implications of the country’s energy transition strategy in light of recent global developments. In a letter dated April 10, 2026, addressed to the Union Ministers of Finance, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and the Vice Chair of NITI Aayog, with a copy to the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted concerns over India’s ambitious plans for coal gasification and the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Subaltern voices go digital: Three Indian projects rewriting history from the ground up

By A Representative A new wave of digital humanities (DH) work in India is shifting the focus away from university classrooms and English-language scholarship, instead prioritizing multilingual, community-driven archives that amplify subaltern voices . According to a review published in the Journal of Asian Studies , projects such as the People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI), the Oral History Narmada archive , and the Bhasha Research and Publication Centre are redefining how the country remembers its past — often without government funding or institutional support.

Beyond Lata: How Asha Bhosle redefined the female voice with her underrated versatility

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The news of iconic Asha Bhosle’s ‘untimely’ demise has shocked music lovers across the country. Asha Tai was 92 years young. Normally, people celebrate a passing at this age, but Asha Bhosle—much like another legend, Dev Anand—never made us feel she was growing old. She was perhaps the most versatile artist in Bombay cinema. Hailing from a family devoted to music, Asha’s journey to success and fame was not easy. Her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, had already become the voice of women in cinema, and most contemporaries like Shamshad Begum, Suraiya, and Noor Jehan had slowly faded into oblivion. Frankly, there was no second or third to Lata Mangeshkar; she became the first—and perhaps the only—choice for music directors and all those who mattered in filmmaking. Asha started her musical journey at age 10 with a Marathi film, but her first break in Hindustani cinema came with the film "Chunariya" (1948). Though she was not the first choice of ...

Search This Blog