The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) volunteers and organisations inspired by the RSS supported millions of people who were impacted by the devastating flood waters in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and parts of North India. In the second week of July, 2023, heavy monsoon rains led to severe flooding across large parts of northern India, causing immense damage to homes and critical infrastructure. A record rainfall resulted in overflow of rivers, triggering flooding and landslides, and destroying roads, bridges and disrupting power supply.
The volunteers belonging to the RSS, Sewa Bharati, the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) hit the ground running to provide food, medicines, clothes and shelter to the people affected by floods in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana.
A news report in the Indian Express dated July 19, 2023, quoted Rakesh Kumar, RSS Pracharak (full time worker) of Himachal Pradesh and active worker of Sewa Bharti, as saying, “We work in an organised manner. We first find out the need in a particular segment and accordingly, we distribute things. Our branches are all across the state and they are active. Local residents of Una, Kangra, Shimla, Bilaspur and others are sending donations as per the need of the area in trucks as movement of traffic has started. Our primary goal is to rehabilitate nearly 300 people whose kiosks got completely damaged in the rain, the homeless and then the shopkeepers. We have to arrange for woollen clothes and dry ration for the rain-hit. So far, we have provided food packets, dry ration and a few other things worth Rs 500000 in Kullu district alone. Our units are working in Mandi, Lahaul and Spiti, Chamba and other areas also.”
Due to heavy rainfall and landslides in Himachal Pradesh, water levels in the Beas river rose to dangerous levels, causing damage to life and property. The massive flood destroyed several houses leaving people with no food and shelter. The RSS volunteers organised and distributed food, bedding and blankets to the residents who lost their homes and belongings due to flooding, as per Sewa Bharti’s website (https://rashtriyasewabharati.org/en/himachal-pradesh-apada/). Apart from RSS, Bajrang Dal and VHP volunteers were also involved in the relief work.
The volunteers reached out to the people stranded across the river amidst rising levels of water and made food, blankets and other essential relief material available to them. As the village community got ravaged by flooding, nearly 30 families were given food, grocery items and blankets, as per Sewa Bharti website. In a remote village of Himachal Pradesh, around 60 people belonging to 15 families were provided with food kits and bedding, the site adds.
As part of its efforts to help those impacted by flooding, Rashtriya Sewa Bharti had issued an appeal (posted on its website) for assistance for providing support to the thousands of people across Himachal Pradesh and parts of North India.
As soon as the areas were hit by floods, a quick response team comprising 200 volunteers was set up to help people living in Patiala and nearby areas including Samana, Patran, Ghana, Devigarh, Sanour and Ghanaur. As the level of water rose and the areas started getting flooded on July 11, Swayamsevaks reached out to the people in need with relief material and shifted them to safe places. The volunteers distributed food and drinking water to the people in the affected areas. Over 1,500 people were provided with relief material at the end of the first day of the relief operations. This was done with the help of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Indian army. People were rescued from Urban State Phase-1 and 2, Govind Bagh, Heerabag, Gurbaksh Colony, Baba Deep Singh Nagar, Rishi Colony, Bajwa Colony, Ekta Nagar, Neelima Vihar, Gopal Nagar, Sanouri Adda and Mathura Colony by Sangh’s Swayamsevaks with the help of NDRF and Indian army. Around 100 families were shifted to safe places.
Besides coordinating with various administrative agencies engaged in relief operations, Swayamsevaks(volunteers) helped traffic police in diverting and managing traffic on Rajpur-Patiala road. For all relief operations, Patiala Zilla Karyalaya Chetna Kendra (Patiala district awareness centre) was made the main centre. Seven more centres were set up for the distribution of relief material.
In Ambala (Haryana), Sangh volunteers distributed food kits and drinking water to the people in the flood-affected areas. Three teams of volunteers were organised to take care of relief operations. One team distributed food in the flood-hit areas of Ambala city. Second team provided food and water at the railway station to more than 2,000 people. At another place named Barada, more than 1,000 people were given food and drinking water. From July 10-12, around 5,000 residents received relief material and food as part of the relief works by the RSS and its affiliated organisations.
In the state of Rajasthan also, leading Hindi language newspaper Amar Ujala reported that the RSS volunteers did commendable work in Rajsamand district providing relief and rehabilitation to the flood affected local residents. The district had experienced floods after it was hit by cyclone ‘Biporjoy’ in June 2023.