Lt Col Shelke’s Wayanad relief ops, SSDMA’s grassroots model win national honours

Lieutenant Colonel Seeta Ashok Shelke of the Indian Army has been selected for the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2026 in the individual category for her exceptional leadership during high-risk rescue and relief operations in Kerala’s Wayanad during the 2024 floods and landslides. The Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) has been awarded in the institutional category for significantly strengthening disaster preparedness and community-based response mechanisms, the government said on Friday.

Lt Col Shelke was recognised for leading large-scale Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations under extremely adverse weather conditions in Wayanad, where torrential rains triggered devastating floods and landslides in 2024. An officer of the Corps of Engineers , she supervised the rapid construction of a 190-foot Bailey Bridge at Chooralmala within four hours during the night , restoring critical connectivity to remote and cut-off villages.

Demonstrating innovative engineering solutions in crisis conditions, Shelke used a Komatsu PC210 excavator as a counterweight to facilitate the construction of a crucial foot overbridge. Her technical expertise enabled the swift creation of temporary bridges, access routes and shelters in inaccessible terrain, supporting evacuation, relief distribution and early recovery efforts.

According to the official statement, Lt Col Shelke directed multiple high-risk rescue missions , coordinated closely with civil authorities and local leaders, and played a pivotal role in saving hundreds of lives. By mobilising nearly 150 tonnes of equipment , she led operations that benefited thousands of people through timely relief and restoration of essential services. She also trained over 2,300 personnel in disaster response and humanitarian operations, translating disaster risk reduction principles into on-ground action. Her work, the statement said, reflects “practical leadership and the growing role of women in operational disaster risk reduction.”

In the institutional category, the SSDMA , established in 2005, was honoured for building a robust, community-centred disaster management framework in the Himalayan state. The Authority has deployed 1,185 trained ‘Aapda Mitras’ as disaster management officials across three tiers village, block and district levels with disaster management assistants posted in all gram panchayats.

Through participatory planning, capacity-building initiatives and panchayat-level committees, SSDMA has enhanced disaster resilience across all six districts of Sikkim. During major emergencies such as the 2016 Mantam landslide and the 2023 Teesta floods , the Authority’s real-time coordination and trained first responders enabled the rescue of 2,563 people , significantly reducing loss of life and damage.

The government noted that SSDMA has institutionalised a proactive, scalable and replicable model of community-centred disaster risk reduction , particularly relevant for other Himalayan and northeastern states.

Instituted by the Government of India, the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar recognises outstanding contributions and selfless service by individuals and organisations in the field of disaster management. The award is announced annually on January 23 , the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.