The history of the Ramakrishna Order’s relief services is as old as that of the Mission itself. Besides their multifarious permanent constructive works, from their very inception, the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission have been ever ready to promptly organize ameliorative and healing services whenever the nation has been faced with sudden calamities caused by freaks of nature, follies of men, or scourges of epidemics. Its relief activities have also extended well beyond Indian borders.

The very beginning of Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama was during the Cachar flood of 1915. Ever since its inception Sevashrama has been carrying on its mission of service to the distressed humanity to the distressed humanity at the time of natural and other calamities. A group of monks from Belur Math along with few local young people laid the foundation stone of Relief Work. Swami Premghanananda, a disciple of Mahapurush Maharaj, took the charge on 6th May, 1927. Under his supervision, the body, then known as Ramakrishna Sevashrama, conducted Relief activities during the flood of 1929. Later, Cachar was hit by another flood in the September of 1938. The Sevashrama went 6.5 feet under water in course of a single night. The distress that the flood caused practically stopped the collection of Mushtibhiksha, Subscriptions and Donations of any kind nearly a month while a considerable extra amount of money was required to make the Sevashrama habitable again. During that intricate social and financial situation, being asked by the Joint Committee formed at the advent of the flood, the Sevashrama deputed its workers to assist the workers of the Joint Committee in investigating the conditions of the distressed concentrated in Government High School, the Circuit House compound, the Jail Quarters and in high places.
In 1943 about forty nine thousand souls of evacuees from Burma passed through Silchar and the Mission was placed in sole charge of supplying cooked food to them. During the Bengal famine of 1943 about one thousand families who came over to Silchar were provide with food and clothing for about nine months, the cost being entirely provided by the Headquarters of the Mission. Thousands of people were homeless due to the flood of July 1946. The mission took up relief operation in Barkhala and Kathegora Thanas with an area about 80 sq. miles. Relief operations were continued till November 1946. Rice received from the Government was distributed and other kinds of help were rendered with funds received from the Headquarters. Also disinfecting water tanks, distribution of medicines and patients suffering from malaria, diarrhea, dysentery, fever and other diseases were taken care of.
In 1950, during the exodus of refugees from Pakistan the mission took charge of two campus and subsequently the mission authorities rendered help and encouragement in their rehabilitation both in and out of tea estates of Cachar. In between, the relief for the refugees from Pakistan continued up to 21st March, 1953. During 1956, South Kutlichrra area in the district of Cachar was visited by a disastrous flood. The area was not accessible by motor transport and indeed, there was hardly any road to reach this remotest corner of Hailakandi Sub-division near Gharmora Forest Reserve at the foot of Lushai Hills. A very large number of huts were either washed away or made inhabitable because of silt deposits. The Sevashrama undertook relief work in villages from Kurricherra to Gharmora extending over seven miles. The relief work constituted construction of 69 houses, repairing of 16 houses, removal of silt from 6 houses, pecuniary help to 139 families, distribution of doles of rice among 123 families. During the flood of 1969, 27 villages of Cachar were affected. With the financial assistance of Rs. 18,154.46 from Belur Math, 3685 kg wheat flour, 4959 kg Rice , 400 kg flatten rice, 495 pieces of blankets and 712 pieces of clothes were distributed among 1897 flood distressed families. 23 houses were built and 67 families were helped with seeds. During recent Assam flood of 2022, with financial assistance of Rs. 86,65,687 from the Infosys Foundation and devotees, Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama of Silchar, Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission of Karimganj and Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama of Guwahati jointly conducted relief activities across Nagaon, Darrang, Morigaon, Cachar, Karimganj districts of Assam.
Besides conducting flood relief works, every year Dhooti, Saree, Chadar and Blankets are distributed among the needy people irrespective of cast, creed and religion.