Himachal's Awaited Relief: Centre's Promises Fall Short

The Congress criticized the central government for failing to deliver on its Rs 1,500 crore relief promise to disaster-hit Himachal Pradesh. Ministers stated the state has not received pledged funds, including Rs 9,200 crore in the NPS, urging BJP's J P Nadda to address the issue.

The Congress has slammed the central government, accusing it of failing to fulfill its Rs 1,500 crore relief pledge for disaster-hit Himachal Pradesh. Despite the Prime Minister's earlier announcement, the state has yet to receive the promised package.

Tribal Development Minister Jagat Singh Negi and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh pointed out that in addition to the relief package, Rs 9,200 crore deposited under the National Pension Scheme (NPS) remains withheld by the Union government. They criticized the Centre for reducing the state's borrowing limit by Rs 1,600 crore following the implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), which they claim has caused a financial loss of Rs 4,800 crore over the past three years.

The leaders also urged BJP president J P Nadda to intervene, stressing that the state's debt burden continues to rise due to the Centre withholding its share. An assessment by the Centre pegged the state's 2023 monsoon loss at around Rs 9,000-9,500 crore, yet Himachal Pradesh is still awaiting nearly Rs 10,000 crore under the PDNA recovery framework and the Rs 1,500 crore package announced earlier. Despite this, the state has provided Rs 4,500 crore from its own resources for disaster relief.

(With inputs from agencies.)