“The Himalayas in Himachal” or one must say Himachal in the Himalayas. “Him” in Hindi means ice or snow, and “Alaya” means home, making the Himalayas “The Home of Snow” from there, Himachal gets its name, meaning “Land of Snow”. The shadowy valleys, rugged crags, glaciers, gigantic pines, roaring rivers, exquisite flora, and fauna compose the forever Himachal symphony. NIFAA officially launched the state branch on 18 August 2019 in Dharamshala, and Ms. Sarika Katoch led a group of young social activists of NIFAA Himachal Pradesh as state president. She is the recipient of the Commonwealth Youth Award and National Youth Award in recognition of her commendable services in youth development. NIFAA Himachal Pradesh has been actively participating in various activities to promote the NIFAA vision in the hill state since its launch. NIFAA H.P. branch organized treeplantations  the mass level. Almost all district branches participated in this drive, initiated on the foundation day of NIFAA and Hiroshima Nagasaki day in 2019. NIFAA Himachal organized national integration and harmony programs in Shimla, where a team from the northeast Sadhbhawna Yatra
participated. During the spread of the Coronavirus, all branches of NIFAA Himachal took an active part in relief activities and provided groceries and medicines to needy people of the State. NIFAA Dharamshala unit, in collaboration with district administration and other active social organizations, formed the Kangra Covid Group for a quick and collective effort to provide relief and slow down the spread of the virus. NIFAA volunteers fearlessly worked for this purpose and even performed regular volunteer duty at the Covid Centre, which the district administration established. This initiative of the NIFAA Kangra team got due recognition from all sectors, especially from the state government and union  of youth affairs and sports. The government of Himachal Pradesh especially wrote a letter appreciating NIFAA Himachal’s role in providing volunteer services during the coronavirus look-down. NIFAA volunteers also provided plasma and blood to save many precious lives during this period. Female members of the NIFAA HP branch prepared reusable cotton masks and distributed them accessible to needy people. The "Samvedna" campaign, initiated by the NIFAA head office to reduce the blood shortage during the coronavirus period, got tremendous responses in the State, and team NIFAA Himachal Pradesh organized a total of 23 camps in association with other NGOs. A special blood donation camp was also organized at Lahaul Spiti, where the temperature remains typically freezing, and organizing a blood donation camp was a big challenge.
This inspiring story of NIFAA Himachal Pradesh got special coverage in India’s leading news magazine, “Tehlaka”.