Lt Col Seeta Shelke, Sikkim Disaster Authority Win Subhash Chandra Bose Award

• Lieutenant Colonel Seeta Ashok Shelke and Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) received the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2026.
• Lt Col Shelke was honored in the individual category for her leadership during the 2024 Wayanad floods and landslides, saving hundreds of lives and restoring access.
• She supervised the rapid construction of a 190-foot Bailey Bridge at Chooralmala and mobilized 150 tonnes of equipment for relief operations.
• SSDMA was recognized in the institutional category for strengthening disaster preparedness and response, deploying 1,185 trained Aapda Mitras.
• SSDMA's community-based model, with Disaster Management Assistants in Gram Panchayats, helped rescue 2,563 people during the Mantam landslide (2016) and Teesta floods (2023).

Why It Matters: Lt Col Seeta Shelke and Sikkim Disaster Authority awarded for exceptional disaster management efforts.