New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare floods in Kerala as "a national disaster". The deadliest deluge in Kerala in close to a century has claimed 194 lives since August 8. Over 3.14 lakh people have been moved to relief camps.
"Dear PM, please declare #Kerala floods a National Disaster without any delay. The lives, livelihood and future of millions of our people is at stake," Gandhi tweeted. He also appealed to Congress workers to help those in need in the flood-ravaged state.
"Across Kerala & now Kodagu in Karnataka, heavy rainfall has caused widespread devastation. This is the time for our workers & leaders to demonstrate the core Congress values of service & love. Please focus all our resources & people to help those in need," he said in another tweet.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced immediate financial assistance of Rs 500 crore to Kerala. Modi also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh per person to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those seriously injured from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF), a Prime Minister's Office (PMO) statement said.