How state using funds for rehab in flood-hit Mandi: Kangana asks Centre

Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut on Wednesday asked the Central Government to explain how relief funds it had provided were being utilised by the Congress-led state government for flood and landslide-hit areas of her constituency.

Kangana raised the issue during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha and said, “My constituency of Mandi is suffering heavy losses, both in terms of lives and property, due to back-to-back floods and landslides. Several bridges have collapsed and many villages are inundated.” She urged the Centre for clarity on how the state government was using “thousands of crores of rupees in relief funds” provided to it. “We want to know how much financial aid the Centre has given to Himachal and when it was disbursed, because the state government is not acknowledging it,” she added.

She also highlighted the situation in the Mandi (Sadar) Assembly constituency, which was again hit by flashfloods on Tuesday, causing huge losses. She sought the details of the deployment and response time of the NDRF and the ITBP in such emergencies.

Kangana called for a long-term plan to mitigate disaster risks in the region. She asked the Central Government what comprehensive strategy had been put in place to deal with frequent natural calamities in Himachal.

A high-level committee, under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, had approved Rs 2,006.40 crore Central assistance to Himachal last month for the recovery and reconstruction plan in the aftermath of flashfloods, landslides and cloudbursts in 2023.

As per the Centre, the relief package would help Himachal in carrying out recovery and reconstruction activities post 2023 monsoon disaster. Of this fund allocation, Rs 1,504.80 crore would be the Central share from the Recovery and Reconstruction Funding Window under the NDRF.

Himachal Tribune