Raipur, March 10 As many as 434 people have died due to lightning strikes in Chhattisgarh in the last two years, and relief assistance of ₹17.28 crore has been provided to the families of the victims, Revenue Minister Tank Ram Verma informed the state assembly on Tuesday.
In a written reply to a question raised by BJP MLA Asharam Netam, Verma said the highest number of deaths was reported from the Balrampur district in the northern region of the state, where 51 people died due to lightning strikes.
Netam, in his written question, sought details regarding deaths caused by lightning strikes and the relief amount distributed to the victims' families during 2024-25 and 2025-26.
Netam also asked what preventive measures the government was taking to reduce loss of life from such incidents in the future.
The reply stated that during the period, 434 people lost their lives due to lightning strikes in the state.
The families of the deceased were provided a total relief amount of ₹17.28 crore, it said.
The minister said besides the 51 deaths in Balrampur district in the northern region of the state, 37 fatalities were reported in Surguja district, while 26 deaths each occurred in Jashpur, Korba and Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi districts.
The minister said that 22 people died in Korea district, 18 in Balodabazar, 17 in Kabirdham and 16 in Surajpur due to lightning strikes.
Thirteen deaths each were reported from Bilaspur, Raigarh and Bastar districts, he added.
Nine people died in Raipur district and one in Narayanpur district due to lightning strikes during the period, Verma said.
He further informed the House that, as per directions of the central government, the process for implementing the MPLS (Mitigation Project on Lightning Safety) project for protection against lightning is underway in Janjgir-Champa, Jashpur, Korea, Balrampur and Surajpur districts.