NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Jammu and Kashmir president and Rajya Sabha member Sat Sharma on Thursday urged the Central Government to provide a special financial and rehabilitation package for families affected by recurring flash floods, cloudbursts, landslides and other natural disasters in Jammu and Kashmir.
Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha, Sharma referred to the recent rain-related disasters in Rajouri, Poonch and other parts of the Union Territory, saying repeated natural calamities had claimed lives, damaged homes and public infrastructure and affected the livelihoods of thousands of families.
He said while rescue and immediate relief operations are undertaken after disasters, long-term rehabilitation of affected families also requires priority attention.
According to Sharma, many families continue to face hardships due to inadequate resources for rebuilding homes and restoring livelihoods. He urged the Centre to provide special financial assistance for reconstruction of damaged houses, restoration of public infrastructure and revival of livelihoods in the affected areas.
The BJP leader also sought a dedicated rehabilitation package for families that have lost their homes or earning members in natural disasters, arguing that such support would help them rebuild their lives with dignity.
Sharma said the increasing frequency of natural disasters in the hilly region underlined the need for a sustained and adequately funded Central rehabilitation mechanism to strengthen long-term recovery and resilience in Jammu and Kashmir.
He also said the Central Government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has adopted a people-centric approach towards disaster response through relief, rehabilitation and infrastructure restoration, and expressed hope that his demand would receive favourable consideration.