Shimla, Oct 23 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday distributed Rs 31 crore financial aid to 3,800 families affected by the calamity caused due to rains in Mandi district.

Each affected family was provided with Rs 3 lakh for construction of completely damaged houses, according to an official statement.

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Himachal Pradesh had suffered huge losses due to torrential rains, landslides and floods this monsoon, Sukhu said, adding that he had never seen such a disaster in his life.

In the statement issued here, the chief minister said the state had suffered losses of more than Rs 12,000 crore due to the "disaster during the monsoon season".

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The state government had announced a special relief package of Rs 4,500 crore for the affected people.

He said relief and rescue operations were undertaken without any discrimination or political alignment of the public representatives of the area concerned.

Sukhu said he had repeatedly urged the central government to declare the disaster as a national disaster and demanded a special relief package for Himachal Pradesh but till now no financial assistance has been received as a special relief package.

He said the state government has so far sent claims worth Rs 10,000 crore to the central government and the process of submitting remaining claims worth Rs 2,000 crore is underway.

The chief minister also laid the foundation stone for the Police Station (Vigilance) to be constructed at a cost of Rs 6.43 crore in Mandi.

State Congress president and MP Pratibha Singh lauded the state government for the decision to provide a package of Rs 4,500 crore for the affected people.

Singh claimed she wrote a letter to all the BJP MPs from Himachal Pradesh urging them to meet the Prime Minister in the hour of disaster but none of them responded.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)