Kerala sanctions Rs 10 cr assistance to earthquake-hit Turkiye
Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 18: The Kerala government on Saturday said it has sanctioned Rs 10 crore as financial assistance to Turkiye, which was battered by a massive earthquake recently.
State Finance Minister K N Balagopal said the money was granted to support the people of that country and the External Affairs Ministry had given permission to hand over the amount to Turkiye the other day.
The Rs 10 crore-financial assistance was announced in the state budget presented on February 8.
"The earthquake in Turkiye, which had shocked the consciousness of the world, claimed tens of thousands of lives and left lakhs of people destitute," the minister noted.
People from all over the world came forward to help the quake victims, he said and recalled the support the southern state had received from around the globe when it was devastated by natural calamities some years ago.
The earthquake had killed thousands of people and flattened several numbers of buildings in Turkiye and neighbouring Syria last month. Its epicentre was in Turkiye's southeastern province of Kahramanmaras and was felt as far away as Cairo (Egypt).
India had already dispatched humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to Turkiye.
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Passing out parade held at IMA Dehradun, 491 young officers join Indian Army
Dehradun(PTI): After undergoing rigorous training at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun, 491 cadets participated in a grand Passing Out Parade on Saturday and will now be commissioned as officers in the Indian Army.
The spectacular parade, held at the historic Drill Square in front of the academy's Chatwood Building, was reviewed by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, who served as the reviewing officer.
Along with 491 Indian cadets, 34 foreign cadets from 14 friendly countries also participated in the Autumn Term 2025 Passing Out Parade.
A total of 525 officer cadets from the 157th Regular Course, 46th Technical Entry Scheme, 140th Technical Graduate Course, 55th Special Commissioned Officers Course, and Territorial Army Online Entrance Exam 2023 Course participated in the Passing Out Parade.
The 'Sword of Honour' and gold medal for securing first place during training was awarded to ACA Nishkal Dwivedi, the silver medal to BUO Badal Yadav for second place, and the bronze medal to SUO Kamaljeet Singh for third place.
The silver medal for securing first place in the 'Technical Graduate Course' was awarded to Officer Cadet Jadhav Sujit Sampat, and the silver medal for first place in the 'Technical Entry Scheme-46' was awarded to WCC Abhinav Mehrotra.
The silver medal for the 'Special Commission Officer Course' was given to Officer Cadet Sunil Kumar Chhetri.
Among the foreign cadets, the first place in merit was secured by JUO Mohammad Safin Ashraf from Bangladesh. The Army Chief's Banner for overall best performance in the Autumn Term was awarded to Imphal Company.
As the parade concluded, helicopters showered flowers on the newly commissioned officers from the sky.
On this occasion, General Dwivedi congratulated the new officers in his address for successfully completing their training. He praised the young officers for their high level of discipline, leadership qualities, and endurance, and urged them to uphold the glorious traditions of the Indian Army and serve the nation with loyalty, commitment, and honour.
General Dwivedi said that joining the army marks the beginning of a lifelong duty and selfless service.
The parents and guardians of the newly commissioned officers were also present during the passing out parade.
