Kerala announces special lottery to raise funds

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : To raise additional funds towards the Chief Ministers Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) following the floods in Kerala, finance minister Thomas Issac on Friday announced a special lottery. Issac said that each ticket would cost ₹250 and the draw would take place on October 3. The entire proceeds of the lottery will go to the CMDRF.

“The lottery has been named ‘Ashwas’ and there would be a first prize of ₹1 lakh in each series and ₹5,000 on 108,000 tickets,” said Issac.

According to a source in the know of things, in all there would 96 lakh tickets that would be printed in nine series. “The target of this special lottery is to raise ₹100 crore, which will be the net profit for the state government after meeting all expenses of this special lottery, if all the 96 lakh tickets are sold,” said the source who did not wish to be identified.

ARMY TO BUILD 2 BAILEY BRIDGES ON PAMBA RIVER

The Army will build two Bailey bridges across the Pampa river to restore connectivity between two paths to the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabaramala,damaged in the floods, a body governing it said.

The Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the temple, at its review meeting here today to take stock of the postflood situation in areas of Pamba, decided to hand over work on constructing the uphill and downhill paths, to the Army.

One bridge would be used for the movement of emergency vehicles like ambulances and the other for devotees to cross the river, an official release said here.

The bridge would connect the Pamba hill-top and the Ganapathy temple across the river, it said. The TDB also decided to take steps to remove the mounds.