DH-PV Trust collects Rs 1.85 cr for flood relief

A cheque for Rs 46.46 lakh was on Wednesday handed over to Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy towards the Chief Minister’s Calamity Relief Fund on behalf of the Deccan Herald and Prajavani Relief Trust.

Deccan Herald Editor Sitaraman Shankar, Deputy Editor B S Arun and Prajavani Executive Editor Ravindra Bhat handed over the cheque to Kumaraswamy.

The chief minister thanked the readers of the two newspapers for liberally contributing to the Deccan Herald and Prajavani Relief Trust and said the amount would be utilised for rehabilitation measures in the Kodagu district.

Deccan Herald and Prajavani had set up the Kerala-Karnataka Relief Fund following devastating floods that caused extensive damage in 14 districts of Kerala and the Kodagu district of Karnataka. A total of Rs 1.85 crore was contributed to the fund by readers of the two leading dailies.

A cheque for Rs 1.39 crore would be shortly handed over to the Kerala chief minister’s office towards the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund to be used for relief measures in the neighbouring state.

The floods – worst since 1924 -- rendered thousands of people homeless while lakhs were evacuated to safer places. The death toll due to this massive natural disaster was put at over 160 in Kerala and nine in Kodagu.