Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2026

Recognition and Honorees

• The award honors contributions in disaster management.
• Recipients for 2026 include the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) and Lieutenant Colonel Seeta Ashok Shelke.

Lieutenant Colonel Seeta Ashok Shelke's Contributions

• Led Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) during the 2024 Wayanad floods and landslips.
• Coordinated evacuation, relief distribution, and restoration of essential services.
• Directed high-risk rescue missions, saving hundreds of civilians.
• Supervised the construction of a 190-foot Bailey Bridge at Chooralmala to restore connectivity.
• Implemented innovative engineering solutions under challenging conditions.
• Mobilized 150 tonnes of equipment for timely relief operations.
• Trained over 2,300 personnel in disaster response and humanitarian operations.
• Advanced disaster risk reduction (DRR) using Corps of Engineers skills.

Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA)

• Established in 2005 to enhance disaster preparedness in Sikkim.
• Deployed 1,185 trained Aapda Mitras as Disaster Management officials.
• Organized personnel in three tiers to enhance resilience: 
  1. Disaster Management Assistants at the village level
  2. Disaster Management Supervisors at block headquarters
  3. Disaster Management Coordinators at district headquarters
• Participated in planning and capacity-building initiatives.
• Enhanced resilience in six districts of Sikkim.
• Critical interventions during the 2016 Mantam landslide and 2023 Teesta floods.
• Institutionalized a community-centered disaster risk reduction approach.
• Focus on early warning, preparedness, and local capacity building.

Significance of Awards

• Highlight the exemplary disaster management efforts and leadership.
• Showcase the growing role of women in operational DRR.
• Create models of community-centered disaster resilience, particularly for other Himalayan and northeastern states.