Palampur to get SDRF training institute: Sukhu

Kullu: Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday announced the establishment of a training institute for SDRF in Palampur, with the aim to strengthen the state’s infrastructure for better weather forecasting. Speaking at an event called ‘Samarth-2024’ in Shimla on International Disaster Reduction Day, the CM said climate change has made disasters more frequent, making it imperative to adapt to living with these challenges. He said the state govt was spending large amounts of money to raise public awareness about disaster preparedness and had implemented several measures to mitigate the effects of disasters.To tackle future disaster challenges, he said, a Rs 800-crore project is being executed in collaboration with French agency AFD, of which Rs 500 crore is being spent from the mitigation fund. He said last year, during the monsoon, over 500 lives were lost and damages worth Rs 10,000 crore were recorded. Despite no help from the Centre, the state rehabilitated 23,000 affected families and implemented a disaster relief package of Rs 4,500 crore, he said. Under this package, compensation for fully damaged homes had been raised from Rs 1.30 lakh to Rs 7 lakh. The govt had also amended the rules to ensure compensation for the families of those who went missing during the disasters, the CM said.Criticising “political interference” in disaster relief efforts, Sukhu said, “We are yet to receive the Rs 10,000 crore for the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA). Though some progress has been made following my intervention, politics should not play any role in such matters, and full assistance must be provided to those affected.” On the occasion, the CM launched a State Disaster Mitigation Fund portal and introduced an earthquake retrofitting programme for critical buildings in Himachal Pradesh.

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