Guwahati: With much of Assam still reeling under the impact of the annual floods, the Government of Kerala, another state that has faced the brunt of nature's future, decided to proffer an amount of Rs. 2 crores to the ailing state.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has expressed his solidarity and support for the flood-affected people of Assam and pledged to donate Rs 2 crore from Chief Minister's Distress Relief Funds (CMDRF) to the Government of Assam.
Vijayan's generous offer has come at a time when the waters have started receding somewhat, and the focus has now shifted to relief and rehabilitation efforts. According to a bulletin by Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the number of districts affected by floods, which was 28 two weeks ago, came down gradually to 21 on Tuesday.
It may be recalled that two years ago, in a similar gesture, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had forwarded a sum of Rs. 3 crore to flood-hit Kerala that was reeling under some of the worst floods that the state had ever seen.
"Seeing the deluge and the sufferings of the people of Kerala, the soreness of the people of Majuli, the largest river island, comes to my mind and I pledge to share the sufferings of my brother and sisters in Kerala as I do with the brothers and sisters back home in Assam," Sonowal said in a statement back then, offering his proverbial shoulder of support to the Kerala Government amid the catastrophe.
Vijayan, it seems, has not forgotten the Assam Government's gesture in these times of great grief for the people of the state. In this year's monsoons, lakhs have been displaced from their houses and at least a hundred have met their demise due to the fury of the floodwaters.