HP govt releases Rs 9cr rental aid for disaster-hit families

Kullu: The state govt released Rs 8.97 crore to provide rental assistance to disaster-affected families whose houses were completely damaged or rendered uninhabitable due to heavy monsoon rains in 2025.A govt statement said the financial support aimed to ensure that affected families did not face difficulties in renting accommodation.
The state govt is providing rental assistance of Rs 10,000 per family in urban areas and Rs 5,000 per family in rural areas from its own resources. Under this initiative, 2,817 families in rural areas and 88 families in urban areas benefited.Due to the monsoon-led disaster in 2025, approximately 16,488 families across the state were affected. During this period, 2,246 houses were completely damaged and 7,888 houses were partially damaged, the statement said.The statement claimed that, for the first time in the country, financial assistance for disaster victims was increased significantly.Under a special relief package, compensation amounts were enhanced multiple times. In this regard, the first instalment of Rs 141.61 crore was released to beneficiaries for the reconstruction of damaged houses, the statement said.The estimated total loss to the state exceeded Rs 16,500 crore. In 2023, the state govt released a special relief package from its own resources to ensure that affected families did not face housing and livelihood difficulties. The assistance under the special relief package continued in 2025, with adequate financial aid being provided to the affected families, the statement added.The statement said that, under the relief package, the assistance for completely damaged houses increased from Rs 1.30 lakh to Rs 7 lakh. For partially damaged houses, assistance of Rs 1 lakh was fixed. The relief amount for loss of household items increased from Rs 2,500 to Rs 1 lakh for homeowners and Rs 50,000 for tenants.Additionally, there was previously no provision for compensation for polyhouse damages or for removing debris and silt from houses. The present govt initiated assistance of Rs 25,000 for damaged polyhouse and Rs 50,000 for debris or silt removal.The spokesperson also mentioned that the central assessment team, which evaluated the natural disaster of 2023, estimated losses of Rs 9,042 crore, the statement added.