Himachal calamity: In order to extend a helping hand to the people affected by natural calamities in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu donated all his savings worth Rs 51 lakh to the state disaster relief fund on Friday. According to a statement issued, Sukhu and his wife Kamlesh Thakur presented a cheque of Rs 51 lakh to Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena at their official residence.
“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.
People voluntarily contributed towards the relief fund
Further, Sukhu informed that every section of society had voluntarily contributed towards the relief fund. He added that to extend a helping hand, even children broke their piggy banks. Moreover, the elders parted with their pensions and the state government employees contributed generously from their salaries to contribute towards the Aapda Raahat Kosh (disaster relief fund), he said.
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State suffered losses of Rs 12,000 crores
Earlier, the chief minister had claimed that the state has suffered losses of Rs 12,000 crores and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the calamity in Himachal as a national disaster. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, during her two-day visit to rain-affected areas of Kullu, Mandi and Shimla on July 12 and 13, had stated that the issue would be raised in the special session of Parliament.
Gandhi on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged him to declare Himachal calamity a ‘national disaster’. Even in the past, Sukhu had contributed his salary to the state relief fund during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the statement, Sukhu had given away his one year’s salary and contributed Rs 11 lakh towards the state relief fund.