The Hindu : National : Rs. 75 lakhs for Andhra Pradesh from ` <I>The Hindu</I> Relief Fund'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 23, 2005

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National

Rs. 75 lakhs for Andhra Pradesh from ` The Hindu Relief Fund'

By Our Special Correspondent

N. Ram, Editor-in Chief, and N. Murali, Joint Managing Director of The Hindu , present a demand draft for Rs. 75 lakhs to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, in Hyderabad on Saturday. This is a contribution from ` The Hindu Relief Fund' towards the rehabilitation of tsunami victims in Andhra Pradesh . — Photo: K. Gajendran

HYDERABAD, JAN. 22. A demand draft for Rs. 75 lakhs was handed over to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, on behalf of ` The Hindu Relief Fund' here on Saturday.

N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief, and N. Murali, Joint Managing Director of The Hindu , called on Dr. Reddy at the Lake View Guest House and presented the draft. Conveying the newspaper's solidarity with the victims of the tsunami in Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Ram said: ``This is a small contribution from ` The Hindu Relief Fund' to the biggest State in the South.''

He complimented the Government for its quick response in extending help to the victims immediately after the disaster.

The Chief Minister thanked The Hindu for its gesture and said the amount would be used for the rehabilitation of the tsunami victims in the State.

He explained that his administration, which was experienced in handling natural disasters, had lost no time in reaching out relief to the tsunami victims.

He said food was served in relief camps by 2 p.m., barely five to six hours after the giant waves hit the coast at around 8 am. ``In fact, I had lunch with the victims in Nellore,'' he added.

Dr. Reddy said the magnitude of the damage in Andhra Pradesh was far less than what Tamil Nadu suffered. He expressed his distress over the huge loss of life and property in the neighbouring State.

The Chief Minister said the Centre had given Rs. 68.99 crores to Andhra Pradesh in the first phase of the relief package and most of this amount would go to rehabilitation work. Although the loss of life was limited to about 110, the damage was heavy and a fair amount of assistance was needed for rehabilitation.

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