Sell-Aid Desk24/7- Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kangra on Tuesday to assess the flood-affected areas of Himachal Pradesh and meet survivours of the devastating monsoon rains.
Among those he met was one-year-old Nitika, who became the symbol of this year’s tragedy after losing her entire family in a cloudburst in Mandi district.
Nitika, who was just 11 months old at the time, lost her father Ramesh Kumar (31), mother Radha Devi (24), and grandmother Poonam Devi (59) on the night of June 30 when a massive landslide struck Talwara village in the Gohar area.
The three were swept away while trying to divert slush away from their home, unaware of the impending cloudburst in the mountains above. Miraculously, Nitika, who was asleep in the kitchen, a part of the house untouched by the slide, survived unscathed.
Now nearly 14 months old, Nitika has been declared a “child of the state” by the Himachal Pradesh government, which has committed to funding her education and all living expenses.
She is currently in the care of her paternal aunt, Kirna Devi. Following the tragedy, images of Nitika in the arms of Sub-Divisional Magistrate Samritika Negi went viral, prompting hundreds of adoption requests from across the country.
In addition to Nitika, the Prime Minister met 20 other survivours who lost loved ones and property to the relentless monsoon rains that have wreaked havoc across the state since June 20.
