New Delhi, July 20 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah directed the formation of a multi-sectoral Central team given the frequency and intensity of natural disasters in Himachal Pradesh, an official said on Sunday. In a recent meeting, HM Shah was briefed about the increase in the frequency and intensity of cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides and torrential rainfall, causing widespread loss of life, damage to infrastructure, livelihoods and environmental degradation. He immediately ordered the constitution of a multi-sectoral Central Team comprising experts from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) Roorkee, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) Pune, a Geologist, and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, the official said.

In the wake of floods, flash floods, and landslides during monsoon 2025 in different parts of Himachal Pradesh, the Central government has already deputed an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) in advance, without waiting for their memorandum, for on-the-spot first-hand assessment of the damages, said an official statement. The IMCT is visiting the affected areas of the state from July 18-21, and as many as 13 teams of NDRF are deployed in the State for rescue and relief operations. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Central Government stands firmly with the states in times of disasters without any discrimination, said the statement.

In this direction, a high-level committee chaired by HM Shah has already approved an outlay of Rs 2006.40 crore to Himachal Pradesh for recovery and reconstruction in areas affected by disasters like floods, landslides and cloudbursts for 2023, and has also released the first instalment of Rs 451.44 crore on July 7, it said. To support the affected people, the Central government has already released the first instalment of the Central share of Rs 198.80 crore to Himachal Pradesh from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) on June 18. The Central government has also provided all logistical assistance to all states, including Himachal Pradesh, including deployment of requisite National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, Army teams and Air Force support.