Mangaluru: In a bid to support families affected by the recent landslides in Wayanad, Mangaluru-based NGO HIF India has launched a project to construct six houses through crowd-funding efforts. The initiative, aimed at providing shelter to those who may not qualify for government rehabilitation schemes due to a lack of documentation, is expected to be completed in four months.
The NGO has already raised around ₹45 lakh from donors, which will be used exclusively for the construction of houses. A private construction company has agreed to build 600 square-foot houses for ₹7.15 lakh each. Applications will soon be invited to select beneficiaries, with priority given to families that cannot access government aid. Local social workers and NGOs will assist in the scrutiny process.
HIF India office-bearers are currently in Wayanad seeking land donations for the construction. Three donors have already come forward, offering plots located between 10 and 25 kilometers from Chooralmala, one of the worst-hit areas in the landslide. The donated land will first be transferred to HIF India through a gift deed, and once construction is complete, it will be handed over to the beneficiaries through another deed.
Farooq, the general secretary of HIF India, highlighted the plight of migrant workers who have lived in Wayanad for years, working primarily in the tourism sector, and have lost everything in the disaster. Many of these workers lack the necessary documents to apply for government housing and are in desperate need of support.
Farooq also said that those with proper documents would eventually receive government rehabilitation and stressed on the need to prioritize undocumented families in this humanitarian effort.
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Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet considered whether he would continue the ceasefire involving Iran, while also claiming the United States holds the advantage in negotiations.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was prepared to make a deal with “whoever is running the show” in Iran.
“They are fighting with each other, there’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership in many cases. I think they’re fighting not to be leader because we knocked out two levels of leaders,” he said.
Trump added, “When they want they can call me. We have all the cards, we’ve won everything.”
Referring to ongoing negotiations, he said, “They gave us a paper that should’ve been better. And, interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it [envoy trip to Pakistan], within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better.”
“We talked about they will not have a nuclear weapon, very simple … They offered a lot, but not enough,” he added.
When asked whether he would continue the ceasefire, Trump replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.”
The remarks come as uncertainty remains over the future of the temporary truce and broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
