Uttarakhand

• 26 Jul 2024

Road Leading to China Border Washed Away

Why in News?

Recently, The national highway linking Joshimath to the border villages of Malari and Niti along the Indo-China frontier was destroyed at Miram.

Key Points

• The blockade entirely stopped the movement of vehicles, especially impacting Army and Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) convoys traveling towards the border.
• Over 100 roads, including many national highways, remain blocked in the state due to continuous rainfall and frequent landslides, particularly in hilly areas.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)

• The ITBP is a specialized mountain force of India, which was established on 24^th October 1962, soon after the India-China war which was initially meant for deployment along the India-China border.
• ITBP was initially raised under the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Act, 1949. However, in 1992, parliament enacted the ITBP Act and the rules were framed in 1994.
• However, over the years, ITBP has also been deployed for various internal security duties, including anti-Naxal operations. The force is known for its expertise in high-altitude rescue and mountaineering operations.

Central Assistance to Manage Pilgrims

Why in News?

The Uttarakhand government will seek help from the Centre through Niti Aayog to manage the large number of tourists.

Key Points

• Uttarakhand, known for spiritual tourism, is facing a significant challenge with its annual floating population increasing eight-fold.
• The Uttarakhand government requested the Centre to include compensation for damages caused by forest fires and high-voltage transmission line losses in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms in the Union Budget.
  • The state has not received any allocation for green bonus or floating population, despite being one of the 147 most landslide-prone districts in the country.
  • Districts like Rudraprayag and Tehri had hoped for relief, such as the establishment of glacier or landslide research centers, but the budget did not address these concerns.

State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF)

• SDRF has been constituted under Section 48 (1) (a) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
• It was constituted based on the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission.
• It is the primary fund available with the State governments for responses to notified disasters to meet expenditure for providing immediate relief.
• It is audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) every year.