Central Team Deployed to Tackle Disasters in Himachal Pradesh

New Delhi [India] – The surging frequency and severity of natural disasters in Himachal Pradesh have prompted Union Home Minister Amit Shah to form a multi-sectoral central team, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Sunday. The team includes specialists from the National Disaster Management Authority, Central Building Research Institute Roorkee, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology Pune, a geologist, and Indian Institute of Technology Indore.

The Union Minister's decision followed a briefing about the rise in cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides, and intense rainfall in the state, which have caused significant loss of life, infrastructure damage, and environmental harm. An Inter-Ministerial Central Team has been dispatched in anticipation of natural disasters during the 2025 South West monsoon for immediate on-site damage evaluation.

IMCT commenced its site inspections on July 18, continuing through July 21. To facilitate recovery, a high-level committee helmed by the Union Home Minister has sanctioned Rs 2006.40 crore for flood, landslide, and cloudburst recovery in 2023, with an initial disbursement of Rs 451.44 crore released on July 7.

In support of the afflicted, the central government released the first installment of Rs 198.80 crore in central shares to Himachal Pradesh from the State Disaster Response Fund on June 18, 2025, for immediate relief measures. Additional assistance includes deploying 13 National Disaster Response Force teams, military support, and logistical aid.

Himachal Pradesh's State Disaster Management Authority reported 119 fatalities since the monsoon's start on June 20, with infrastructure heavily impacted including 146 blocked roads and numerous power and water systems inoperable. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu met with Minister Shah to discuss the monarchy's devastation and seek federal assistance on July 15.

(With inputs from agencies.)