Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 6 : Education Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Rohit Thakur, said that over 300 schools have been hit by monsoon fury in the state and the education sector has suffered a loss of nearly Rs 30 crore.
Speaking to ANI in Shimla on Wednesday, Thakur said the department is actively monitoring the situation and has granted flexibility to district and sub-divisional administrations to take decisions based on local disaster conditions.
"In some regions, a two-week monsoon break will begin from tomorrow. Last year, we had also decided that based on weather conditions, local authorities could shut down schools if required," Thakur stated.
He added that in areas severely impacted by rainfall and floods, especially where children are unable to reach schools safely, local SDMs have declared holidays, such as in Shimla and Mandi, where heavy rain has been reported for the past two days.
"More than 300 educational institutions have been affected by rainfall and flooding. The problem initially started in Mandi district in early July, where 219 schools were affected. Now, the total has crossed 300," he revealed.
"As per preliminary assessment, the education sector has suffered a loss of nearly Rs 30 crore," Thakur said.
"This is still an early phase of the monsoon we have nearly two more months left. The official monsoon withdrawal date in Himachal is September 24, so more updates are expected." He added.
He mentioned that schools in the most damaged areas have been reopened through alternate arrangements.
"In many cases, Panchayat Ghars and community centres have been used to run primary schools. Since these are small schools, major accommodations were not required. Local communities also came forward and offered space, some even without charging rent," he explained.
"Wherever we receive paid accommodation offers, we are open to accepting them to ensure students' education continues uninterrupted."
He confirmed that, according to the latest available update, all schools were functional, provided there were no weather-related disruptions.
"The monsoon break starting tomorrow is applicable for winter-closing schools. In many of these schools, teachers are still required to report, especially non-teaching staff, based on local administrative decisions," Thakur added.
He further said the party's recent huddle with senior national and state leaders had been "planned months ago but was postponed due to the tragic Pahalgam incident. He was speaking after returning from a key Congress leadership meeting in Delhi.
He said that the process of finalising the Pradesh Congress Committee will be done soon, as it has been pending for almost eight months now.
"The meeting in Delhi with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had been scheduled a few months ago, but could not be held earlier due to the unfortunate incident in Pahalgam. It was finally conducted on August 4," Thakur told ANI.
He said that not only leaders from Himachal Pradesh but top national leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and KC Venugopal (AICC General Secretary, Organisation) were present in the meeting.
"A proper feedback was taken from each state, including Himachal Pradesh, to evaluate ground situations and challenges," he said.
"This feedback will be used to strengthen the party and its structure at the central level," Thakur added.
Reacting to the pending appointment of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) President, Thakur expressed hope that a decision would be made soon.
"We are hopeful that a decision will be taken shortly. There has been uncertainty for quite some time, but now we expect clarity soon," he said.
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