Lieutenant Colonel Sita Ashok Shelke of the Indian Army has been selected for the Subhas Chandra Bose National Award for Disaster Management 2026 in the individual category.
The award is conferred to recognise contributions to disaster preparedness, mitigation, and response.
The Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) has been selected in the institutional category of the award.
About the Award
The Subhas Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar is a national award instituted by the Government of India to recognise contributions in disaster management.
The award is presented annually on 23 January, the birth anniversary of Subhas Chandra Bose.
Recipients receive national recognition, a certificate of merit, and a cash prize.
Profile of Lieutenant Colonel Sita Ashok Shelke
Lieutenant Colonel Shelke is a commissioned officer in the Indian Army.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering.
She has undergone advanced military training in leadership, engineering operations, and humanitarian assistance.
She was selected in the individual category for the award for her service in disaster management, with a focus on humanitarian assistance, disaster relief operations, and resilience building.
Disaster Response Contributions
During the 2024 floods and landslides in Wayanad, Kerala, Lieutenant Colonel Shelke participated in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.
Her role included evacuation, coordination of relief efforts, and restoration of essential services.
She supervised the construction of a 190-foot Bailey Bridge at Chooralmala, restoring connectivity in areas affected by landslides.
Her team mobilised more than 150 tonnes of equipment for relief and recovery operations.
She trained over 2,300 personnel in disaster response and humanitarian operations.
Institutional Category: Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority
The Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority was selected for the institutional category of the award.
SSDMA deployed more than 1,185 trained Aapda Mitras across villages, blocks, and districts in Sikkim.
The authority coordinated disaster response during the 2016 Mantam landslide and the 2023 Teesta floods.
Context
The awards are announced under the Ministry of Home Affairs. They recognise individual and institutional contributions to disaster management in India.