Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan announced Rs 4 lakh as ex-gratia for flood victims

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday had announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 4 lakh each to kin of the deceased and families who had lost their houses in the rain-related calamities.

With the onset of fresh flash floods and landslides in most parts of the state, Kerala is facing an unprecedented rain havoc since August 8.

A sum of Rs 10 lakh each, Rs 6 lakh for purchasing land and Rs 4 lakh for constructing house, will be given to those families who had lost their properties in rain-related landslides, said the CM.

Moreover, people who lost their important documents in the flood would be renewed at free of cost, Vijayan said.

Pinarayi on Saturday also made a personal contribution of Rs one lakh towards the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF).

Urging to the like-minded citizens to contribute generously to relief efforts, Chief Minister Vijayan said in a Facebook post that rebuilding the affected areas is going to be an arduous task.

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The chief minister had also asked everyone to express solidarity with the people of the state and boost the morale of the affected people in their hour of crisis.

Various non-governmental organisations and groups, like Prathidhwani, a socio-cultural group of Technopark, Kerala School Teachers Association (KSTA), Faith India Welfare Trust, Nemom, and Santhigiri Ashram, Pothencode have stepped-in to provide relief to the flood-affected areas. Some of them have started flood relief activities in places like Kochi and Kozhikode.

Meanwhile, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Saturday announced a relief assistance of Rs 1 crore to the Kerala government to tackle the situation arising out of floods.

Narayanasamy spoke over phone to his Kerala counterpart and assured Vijayan of all possible help to sail through the situation there in the wake of torrential rainfall.

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Rescue and rehabilitation efforts continue for the fourth day along many parts of Kerala as heavy rainfall warning and tidal flooding alert set in the state.

Thirty-seven people have so far been killed in the heavy rains and floods in the state and as many as 54,000 people are homeless.

(With inputs from agencies)