Passports Damaged in Kerala Floods to be Replaced Free of Cost, Says Sushma Swaraj
New Delhi, August 13: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday announced that passports damaged in floods in Kerala will be replaced free of cost by the government.
"There are unprecedented floods in Kerala causing huge damage. We have decided that as the situation becomes normal, passports damaged on account (of) floods shall be replaced free of charge. Please contact the concerned Passport Kendras," Swaraj tweeted.
Kerala has been reeling under massive floods in which over 35 people have lost their lives and thousands of people were rendered homeless. Around 10 of the 14 districts in state have been affected by the floods.
However, no fresh casualties were reported since Saturday. More than 60,000 people have been accommodated in relief camps set up in different areas, including in Wayanad, where over 14,000 people had been sheltered.
Ten columns of Army, a unit of Madras Regiment along with personnel of Navy, Air Force and NDRF are engaged in relief and rescue work in badly-hit districts, including Kozhikode, Idukki, Malappuram, Kannur and Wayanad, Defence sources said.
Water level in Idukki dam, the biggest arch dam in Asia, which was opened after a 26 year gap, marginally declined to 2,399.16 feet at 10 am on Sunday, after hovering close to its maximum of 2,403 feet in the past few days, officials said.
Courtesy: www.news18.com
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Manipur: Mortal remains of children killed in bomb attack handed over to family
Imphal (PTI): The mortal remains of two children, who were killed in a bomb attack in Manipur's Bishnupur district in April, were handed over to family members on Saturday, officials said.
The bodies of the five-year-old boy and his six-month-old sister were kept in the morgue for 25 days, as the family members had refused to accept the mortal remains, demanding that the perpetrators be brought to book at the earliest.
On April 25, Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh had appealed to the family members of the children to accept the bodies. Singh had also said that all efforts were underway to find the culprits.
The two children were killed in a bomb attack at Tronglaobi in Bishnupur district on April 7. Their bodies were kept in the morgue at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal.
The incident had triggered widespread violent protests in the five valley districts of Manipur, and the case was subsequently handed over to the NIA.
Hundreds of people lined up along the way to Tronglaobi to offer floral tributes, as the mortal remains were taken for the last rites in an open vehicle earlier in the day.
