New Delhi, July 22 -- Union home minister Amit Shah has directed the formation of a multi-sectoral central team to study and address increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters in Himachal Pradesh, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) said in a statement. In a recent meeting chaired by Shah, it was observed that the Himalayan state has witnessed an increase in the frequency and intensity of cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides and torrential rainfall, causing widespread loss of life, damage to infrastructure, livelihoods and environmental degradation. To address these concerns, the MHA constituted a multi-sectoral central team, comprising experts from National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) Roorkee, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) Pune, Geologist, and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, the statement said. Further, in the wake of floods, flash floods and landslides during monsoon in different parts of Himachal Pradesh, the Centre has already deputed an inter-ministerial central team (IMCT) for on-the-spot first-hand assessment of damages. The IMCT is visiting the affected areas of the hill state from July 18 to 21. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union government stands firmly with the states in times of disasters without any discrimination, the MHA said. In this direction, a high-level committee chaired by Shah has already approved an outlay of Rs.2,006.4 crore to Himachal Pradesh for recovery and reconstruction in areas affected by disasters like floods, landslides and cloudbursts for 2023, and has also released first instalment of Rs.451.44 crore on July 7, it added. Further, the Centre has already released the first instalment of the central share of Rs.198.8 crore to Himachal Pradesh from SDRF on June 18 for relief measures of immediate nature. Around 13 teams of NDRF are deployed in Himachal Pradesh for rescue and relief operations. In an interview to HT on July 20, Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the recent disaster has caused a loss of Rs.1,100 crore. He attributed the increase in monsoon disasters to climate change. "Until a few years ago, the cold desert regions of Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur received barely 10% rainfall, but today it's closer to 30%. Climate change has led to a surge in cloudbursts, triggering violent flash floods and massive landslides with little to no warning for people in vulnerable areas. Himachal has never experienced so many monsoon-induced cloudbursts before. We've asked the Centre to commission a scientific study into this alarming phenomenon," the Congress leader added. At least 85 lives have been lost, and 34 people are still missing in rain-related incidents in the hill state in the ongoing monsoon so far. Mandi district and adjoining parts of Kullu have borne the brunt of the damage, with a hydro-electric project in the region alone suffering losses to the tune of Rs.100 crore. The calamity has also severely hit the monsoon tourism season, a key income source of the state....