Karnataka gets Rs 46 cr for relief work in flood-hit Kodagu
Bengaluru, Aug 27 : Karnataka has so far received Rs 46.15 crore as funds for relief and rehabilitation of people in flood-hit Kodagu district, an official statement said.
"The Chief Minister's relief fund has received a total of Rs 46.15 crore through contributions from various state's institutions, private firms and employee associations," a statement from Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's office said.
Demand Drafts (DD) worth Rs 14 crore were received through 153 different individuals and organisations, while more than Rs 9 crore was transferred to the relief fund through internet banking and digital wallets.
Kodagu's villages, towns and public infrastructure were severely damaged after torrential rains caused floods and landslips in the hilly district during the southwest monsoon from August 14-22.
According to preliminary estimates, the district has suffered losses worth Rs 1,140 crore to public and private property as a result of the rains, Kodagu Deputy Commissioner P. Sreevidya earlier said.
At least 34 village panchayats have been badly damaged.
Apart from the Chief Minister's relief fund, several Kannada media houses, private organisations and non-governmental organisations have also been collecting funds to help the region in distress.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her visit to the district last week announced Rs 1 crore aid from Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), being a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka.
She had also said Rs 7 crore will be given to the affected district from the state-run defence organisations' corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds.
While Karnataka has sought Rs 2,000 crore interim relief from the Centre for rehabilitation measures in the hilly district, Sitharaman had said the aid will be announced only after an assessment of the losses.
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Bond between Assamese Muslims, Hindus very strong: Author Wasbir Hussain
Guwahati (PTI): The bond between Assamese Hindus and Assamese Muslims is very strong and no one can easily break the traditional friendship between the two communities, Wasbir Hussain, author and executive director of Centre for Development and Peace Studies, has said.
Addressing the fourth anniversary celebrations of the Assamese Syed Welfare Trust, an organisation representing the Assamese Syeds, Hussain on Sunday urged Gauhati University to start a chair in the name of Azan Pir, a 17th-century Muslim reformer and Sufi saint, on the subject of 'inter-faith harmony or harmony of communities'.
Assamese Syeds are one of the five Muslim groups officially recognised by the Assam government as indigenous communities of the state.
Hussain said except religion, there is no difference between Assamese Hindus and Assamese Muslims. Their language is the same, culture is the same, food habits are the same and they dress the same way, he said.
"I strongly believe that no one can easily break the traditional bond of friendship between Assamese Hindus and Assamese Muslims," he said.
Hussain, who is also the editor-in-chief of Guwahati-based Northeast Live, spoke about how the indigenous Muslims of Assam follow cultural Islam compared to religious Islam and live peacefully with the larger Hindu population of the state.
He complimented Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for taking initiatives for the protection of the heritage of the Assamese Muslim community and its overall growth.
Gauhati University Vice Chancellor Nani Gopal Mahanta, the chief guest of the event, said people or communities can have multiple identities that transcend religion.
He cited the example of Assamese Muslims and Syeds who are descendants of Sufi saint Azan Pir, saying they are part of the greater Assamese society.
Mahanta assured that he will push for the Assamese Syed Welfare Trust's proposal to introduce the Azan Pir chair in Gauhati University and that he will work towards republishing the works of renowned Assamese writer Syed Abdul Malik's 'Jikirs Aru Jari'.
Assamese Syed Welfare Trust president Syed Abdul Rashid Ahmed also spoke on the occasion.
