Capt declares Rs 10 crore relief for flood-hit Kerala

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday announced Rs 10 crore immediate relief for the flood-ravaged state of Kerala.

While Rs five crore is being transferred from the Punjab Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to Kerala Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, the remaining Rs five crore will be in the form of ready-to-eat food material and other supplies, to be flown out with the help of the Defence Ministry. The first Air Force sortie was expected to take off on Saturday to deliver 30 tonnes of ready-to-eat foods, such as biscuits, rusks, bottled water, and milk powder, to the flood-hit State, said an official spokesperson. About one lakh food packets are to be sent in the first consignment, and the remaining will be dispatched as and when requisitioned by the Kerala Government.

A total of four sorties, carrying 30 tonnes each, would be undertaken, said the spokesperson, adding that the Punjab Government was pulling out all the stops to ensure timely relief measures for the crisis-ridden Kerala State. The State Financial Commissioner (Revenue) had earlier spoken to his Kerala counterpart, on the directives of Capt Amarinder Singh, to assess the situation and the kind of support required by the Kerala Government to deal with the unprecedented flood situation.

Thereafter, officials of the Punjab Government got in touch with the Defence Ministry to seek their help in transfer of the relief material, said the spokesperson.

Meanwhile, acting on the Chief Minister’s appeal, members of the Punjab IAS Officers’ Association have decided to donate one day’s salary each to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to support the Kerala relief measures. Capt Amarinder has also appealed to other government employees to extend similar help. The Chief Minister has further appealed to various NGOs and philanthropic organisations in Punjab to come forward to extend all possible help to the beleaguered people in Kerala.