Ministers to travel for raising funds

Assisted by NGOs, the team will go to countries that have a large Malayali diaspora

Kerala’s ministers will shortly fly out to different destinations around the world, in an attempt to raise funds for reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts after the devastating floods in the state.

The team will travel to countries which have a large Malayali diaspora and the fundraising visits will be assisted by NGOs. The countries likely to be covered in the campaign are the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, US, UK, Canada and Germany.

The decision comes shortly after donations to the Kerala Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund — specifically meant for the flood-relief work — crossed Rs10 billion on Thursday. Among the latest contributions was an amount of Rs210 million by the Reliance Group, which also provided materials estimated at a value of Rs510 million.

There is also a plan to raise funds from students of government and governmentaided educational institutions and professional colleges in the state, in a special drive on September 11.

The state government has decided to use the services of renowned consultants KPMG, in the initiative to rebuild the state.

The state cabinet has proposed a loan scheme for traders and small-scale businessmen who have lost everything in the floods, under which they will be provided a loan of Rs1 million each.

For families that lost household equipment, a loan of Rs100,000 each will be provided through the Kudumbasree organisation, and the state government will bear the interest for the loan.