Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday visited Uttarakhand to see the state after recent natural disasters, such as heavy rains, floods and landslides, which have rendered several districts in the state devastated. On 19th June, the Prime Minister visited Dehradun and met disaster-affected families and sat with them to listen to their stories. Witnesses said that he was emotionally expressive as he listened to the sorrow of the individuals who lost family members and houses in the tragedy. The way he handled the victims in the interaction was a powerful message of empathy, as the Prime Minister assured the victims of Uttarakhand that the government is solidly behind them at this challenging moment.
Under the relief efforts, the Prime Minister declared a 1200 crore financial package to be used in the immediate rehabilitation and rebuilding exercise in the state. This is a fund that will be used towards giving aid to families who have been affected, repairing the damaged infrastructure and restoring normalcy in the affected areas. He also announced ex gratia payments of 2 lakh /- each to the families of the killed and 50,000/- each to those who were seriously wounded during the calamities. Those children who have lost both their parents will be assisted under the PM CARES scheme called PM CARES for Children, which guarantees them long-term support in upbringing and education.
Prime Minister Modi also checked on the rescue and relief efforts by the state and central agencies during his visit. He commended the work of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), local police and volunteers who have been working around the clock to save lives and bring the much-needed supplies to trapped families. The Prime Minister instructed them to speed up the delivery of relief and make aid available to all the affected households without delay.
Another aspect of the visit that brought to the fore the government’s dedication to restoring required infrastructure that has been ruined by the calamities. The damaged and destroyed roads, schools and houses will be restored through central schemes and state schemes. The Prime Minister emphasized that it must not only look at the recovery but also at creating infrastructure resistant to disaster to reduce damages caused by these occurrences in future.
The emotional touch was seen when the Prime Minister spent time with the families in the relief camps, assuring them that their issues would be addressed as the first priority. His presence gave solace to many people who felt their voices were being heard in the highest ranks. As the government announced financial aid and rehabilitation efforts, it sought to provide quick relief and long-term stability in the state of Uttarakhand, which still faces the ongoing threat of natural disasters because of its vulnerable nature.
