Tripura to donate Rs 1 cr for flood-hit Kerala

Agartala : The BJP-led government in Tripura will donate Rs 1 crore for the relief work in the flood-ravaged state of Kerala.

A day after the opposition CPI-M urged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government to contribute funds to the flood-ravaged Kerala, the Tripura government on Monday night said that it will donate Rs 1 crore.

"The council of ministers in its meeting today (Monday) decided to donate Rs one crore for the relief of the flood-affected people of Kerala," Education and Law Minister Ratan Lal Nath told the media .

Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb chaired the cabinet meeting, which also formally adopted a condolence resolution for the demise of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) on Sunday urged the BJP-led government in Tripura to donate funds to the flood-hit people in Kerala, pointing out that no saffron party-ruled state has yet donated any amount to the southern state.

CPI-M central committee member Bijan Dhar said: "Some non-BJP ruled states and many organisations and individuals have come forward to help the state (Kerala), which was hit by one of the worst natural catastrophes of the century."

Dhar, also the secretary of the Tripura state committee of the Left party, said that the CPI-M would launch an 11-day long fund collection drive on Tuesday across the state to help the affected people of Kerala.