Chandigarh, May 12 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh saw 86 cloudbursts, 234 landslides and 121 flash floods from 2023 to 2025, resulting in a cumulative loss of Rs 12,500 crore. This fact came to light after a high-level meeting here, chaired by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, to review the Resilient Action for Development and Disaster Recovery- Himachal Pradesh (READY-HP).

An official statement issued on Tuesday, quoting the Chief Minister, said the total outlay of the Resilient Action for Development and Disaster Recovery Himachal Pradesh (READY-HP) project is Rs 2,687 crore and described it as a crucial initiative for strengthening disaster management capacity in the state and reducing the damage caused by natural disasters.

The Chief Minister, while referring to the increasing impact of natural calamities, said Himachal Pradesh is highly vulnerable to natural calamities as it falls in the young and fragile Himalayan region.

Chief Minister Sukhu said the project aims to restore disaster-affected infrastructure, including roads, water supply schemes, power and livelihoods projects, while ensuring a resilient recovery mechanism across the state.

He said the objective of READY-HP is to support resilient disaster recovery. It will also focus on developing resilient public services, promoting livelihood opportunities through initiatives like green panchayats and strengthening risk-informed social safety and insurance mechanisms.

The Chief Minister stressed on the need for developing robust infrastructure to support farmers and horticulturists so that their livelihoods remain protected and resilient during natural disasters.

Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) K.K. Pant, Principal Secretary (Finance) Devesh Kumar, Advisor (Planning) Ravinder Kumar, Director (Energy) Rakesh Kumar Prajapati, Director (Rural Development and Panchayati Raj) Raghav Sharma, Deputy Project Director Surender Maltu and other senior officers were present at the meeting.

–IANS

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