Kerala floods

[raajveer]

Kerala floods LIVE: Death toll rises to 370, 38,000 people rescued, says Centre
.
Live updates and developments on how the Kerala flood situation, and the rescue and relief operations, are panning out today

Kerala floods claimed 33 lives Saturday and at least 13 more today, increasing the overall death toll to 370. More than 7.8 lakh people are in relief camps, 8000 houses have been washed away and around 26,000 are partly damaged. Many areas in Kerala continue to receive heavy downpour, hampering rescue work.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi carried out an aerial survey of the Kerala floods—the worst in a century—and announced a ₹ 500 crore relief package. More help has also started pouring in. Air India’s Alliance Air will from Monday operate several flights from the Kochi naval base. Operations are suspended at the Kochi airport due to Kerala floods.

The India Meteorological Department, meanwhile, said the rainfall intensity in the state will reduce in the next 2-3 days. Officials, for their part, said that all the marooned people are likely to be rescued in the next 24 hours.

[raajveer]

Harsimrat Kaur Badal appeals to food processing firms to donate generously

Food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal appealed to all food processing industries to come to the aid of people in Kerala. She said the food processing ministry has nominated two officers to coordinate this effort and that the industries could contact them to make the desired donations. The officers are joint secretary Parag Gupta (9650872875) and deputy secretary Atyanand (9891614895). HT

[raajveer]

Use social media with caution, urges CM

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan urged people to desist from spreading false information on the social media as such actions would only affect rescue operations. “Sending erroneous information can only delay rescue efforts. Kindly forward only messages that are valid,” the chief minister’s office said in a tweet.

[raajveer]

UAE-based Indian businessmen pledge ₹ 12.5 crore for Kerala relief fund

Dubai: Indian-origin billionaire businessmen based in the UAE have announced ₹ 12.5 crore donation for Kerala relief fund, according to a media report.

Kerala-born businessman Yusuff Ali MA, chairman and managing director of Lulu Group, has announced ₹ 5 crore donation for Kerala floods, Khaleej Times reported today.

K.P. Hussain, chairman of Fathima Healthcare Group, has donated ₹ 5 crore. He said that ₹ 1 crore out of ₹ 5 crore will directly go to the Kerala relief fund, while the rest will be allocated for medical relief aid, said Khaleej Times. Hussain said that his group has coordinated with the state’s health secretary to send volunteers from its medical faculty. This includes doctors and paramedics being sent to relief camps.

Other UAE-based businessmen that have pledged donations to the Kerala relief fund are B.R. Shetty, chairman of Unimoni and UAE Exchange and Azad Moopen, founder chairman and managing director of Aster DM Healthcare. They pledged ₹ 2 crore and ₹ 5 crore, respectively.

[raajveer]

Schoolchildren to get new textbooks free of cost

Every schoolchild who lost textbooks in the Kerala floods will be provided new ones free of cost said CM Pinarayi Vijayan today. Thirty-six lakh books have been published and will be provided by the Kerala Books and Publications Society under the direction of the Education Department.

“The Onam exams have been postponed,” said Vijayan.