Himachal Pradesh CM donates his lifetime savings for disaster relief

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₹51 lakh to the “Aapda Rahat Kosh". Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu donated the money from his three savings accounts and even appreciated children who donated from their piggy bank. He has claimed that ₹12,000 crore is needed for the relief efforts and even talked with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to garner the Centre's support.

"I could well understand the pain of the people and their plight during the recent monsoon fury in which more than 260 precious lives were lost and many rendered homeless, besides suffering huge losses," he said. The Chief Minister added that every segment of society willingly made donations to support the relief fund. Even children emptied their piggy banks to assist those facing hardships, while senior citizens sacrificed a portion of their pensions.

State government employees generously chipped in from their salaries to contribute to the Aapda Raahat Kosh (disaster relief fund). Before this, the governments of Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh had extended financial assistance amounting to ₹61 crore to the state to address the needs of relief and rehabilitation. Additionally, temple trusts, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and individuals also stepped forward to offer their assistance.

According to data from the state emergency operation center, the estimated losses incurred by the state currently stand at ₹8,680 crore. Moreover, assessments of the damages are continually being updated. The Chief Minister asserted that the state has incurred losses amounting to ₹12,000 crores and made an appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the situation in Himachal as a national disaster.