Flood relief material from abroad exempted from customs duty, GST: Goyal
New Delhi, Aug 21 : Finance, Coal and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said the relief material coming from foreign countries for distribution in flood-ravaged Kerala have been exempted from the customs duty and the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
"The government is committed to help Kerala in this time of devastation," Goyal told the media here.
"...we have made all the relief materials coming from foreign countries for the Kerala flood relief exempt from customs duty as well as GST," he said.
On August 18, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Rs 500-crore financial assistance to the state.
Earlier, Home Minister Rajnath Singh during his visit to state also announced a financial assistance of Rs 100 crore.
Following the devastating floods, over one million people are now sheltered in 3,274 relief camps in the state. The death toll during this monsoon season is estimated at around 370.
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Six killed, 5 injured as passenger vehicle hits truck in Odisha
Sundargarh (Odisha) (PTI): Six people were killed and five others injured after a vehicle in which they were travelling rammed into a truck in Odisha's Sundargarh district early on Saturday, police said.
The accident occurred near Gaikanapali area under the Hemgiri Police Station limits when the passenger-carrying van hit the truck from behind, a senior officer said.
"Six members of a 'kirtan' group died on the spot, and five others were injured. Maybe, the accident occurred due to fog in the area," he said.
The 'kirtan' party went to Chakkplai village for a programme on the occasion of Diwali, and the accident took place when they were returning to their villages.
The deceased people belonged to Kandagoda and Samarpinda villages in the district.
The injured persons were admitted to a local hospital, the officer said.
Local people blocked the road, demanding ex gratia for the victims' families.
