Telangana CM to donate 500 Tons of Rice for Kerala Victims

Hyderabad, Aug 21: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today instructed state government officials to dispatch 500 tonnes of rice to rain-ravaged Kerala.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has thanked Rao for contributing Rs 25 crore financial assistance and officials of the state have also expressed gratitude to their Telangana counterparts for the help, an official release said.

In addition to the financial assistance, the Telangana government has also sent water purifying machines and packets of a nutritious food for children in the rain-hit state, it said.

In a letter, addressed to Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, copy of which was released to media here on Monday, Mr Vijayan said, "The overwhelming response from your state and others demonstrate the extent of compassion and care that we show to each other in the hours of crisis and calamity, which makes us all proud of being part of Indian ethos and spirit".

It may be noted here that apart from sending milk powder from the state-owned Vijaya dairy worth Rs 40 lakh and water purifying plant costing Rs 2.5 crore, Telangana Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy personally handed over the Rs 25 crore cheque to Kerala Chief Minister in Thiruvanthaparum on Sunday.

"The officials of Kerala requested to help for the supply of rice and the Chief Minister responded immediately," it said.

Rao has asked senior officials to dispatch 500 tonnes of rice and the latter immediately made arrangements for it, the release added.