Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has assured full support to the Jammu and Kashmir government for the relief and rehabilitation of families affected by the cloudburst in Jammu province. Due to adverse weather conditions, the Defence Minister could not visit the cloudburst-affected Chishoti village in Kishtwar. Instead, he held a meeting with officials at Raj Bhavan in Jammu on Sunday to review the relief and rescue efforts following the Kishtwar cloudburst, which claimed 65 lives.
The meeting, attended by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Union Minister Jitendra Singh, and senior representatives from the Army and civil administration, focused on evaluating ongoing relief operations and discussing strategies to enhance rescue and rehabilitation efforts. Singh assured comprehensive assistance from the Central Government to support the people affected by the recent cloudburst in the region.
"Unable to visit the affected site due to inclement weather, Singh proceeded to Government Medical College (GMC) in Jammu, where he met several survivors receiving treatment. During his visit, he inquired about their medical conditions and the care provided by hospital staff", the defence minister posted on his official social media handle.
Due to inclement weather, I could not go to the cloud burst affected areas of Kishtwar today. Reviewed the situation at Chishoti from Jammu, via video conferencing facility.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) August 24, 2025
It is heartening to note that the State administration, Army, NDRF, SDRF, J&K Police have done excellent… pic.twitter.com/Nba6U3fhm0
"Visited Jammu Medical College and met those injured due to the cloudburst and flash floods in Chishoti, Kishtwar. Praying for the speedy recovery of all the injured," the Defence Minister posted on X. He further noted, "Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, and Minister of State in the Union Government, Dr. Jitendra Singh, accompanied me during the visit."
Regarding his inability to visit the affected areas, Singh stated, "Due to inclement weather, I could not visit the cloudburst-affected areas of Kishtwar today. I reviewed the situation in Chishoti from Jammu via video conferencing." He praised the efforts of the state administration, Army, NDRF, SDRF, and Jammu and Kashmir Police, adding, "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Central Government is leaving no stone unturned in providing relief and rehabilitation to those affected by this tragic incident."
LoP briefs Defence Minister about ground situation in Chasoti village
Leader of Opposition in the J&K Legislative Assembly, Sunil Sharma, briefed the Defence Minister about the ground situation of the cloudburst-affected areas through video conference.
Due to bad weather, the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh could not reach Paddar to visit cloudburst hit Chasoti, but he was given a detailed briefing on the situation in Chasoti, loss of precious human lives, and extent of damage to property by LoP Sunil Sharma through video conferencing.
Sunil Sharma, through this video conferencing, also apprised the Defence Minister of the role of voluntary organizations like Sewa Bharti and local NGOs who have been working tirelessly alongside the administration.
Sunil Sharma, who has been continuously present at the site for over a week and has been directly supervising the relief efforts, gave a detailed briefing to the Defence Minister regarding the
ground realities. He highlighted the scale of damage to life, property, agriculture, horticulture, and livestock, and apprised him of the role of voluntary organizations like Sewa Bharti and local NGOs who have been working tirelessly alongside the administration.
He underlined the religious and cultural significance of the holy Machail Yatra, pointing out that the current PMGSY road is not sufficient to bear the expected five lakh pilgrims this year. He demanded widening of the road, installation of crash barriers, and its takeover by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in view of its strategic and cultural importance.
He also stressed upon: Immediate construction of a motorable Bailey Bridge at Chashoti to restore vital connectivity, and establishment of an Army Goodwill School at Padder to provide quality education to children in this remote and underserved region.
He also demanded the sanctioning of a petrol pump at Padder, as the absence of refueling facilities created major hurdles during rescue operations, where heavy machinery had to be kept running continuously.
LoP also demanded installation of mobile towers in no-network zones to ensure communication during emergencies, to expedite release of financial support from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF), and sanctioning of a comprehensive rehabilitation package to cover the heavy losses suffered by agriculture, horticulture, livestock, and local businesses.
