Queen Elizabeth II in a message to President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday, 21 August, said that she was saddened to learn of the devastation and the loss of life and property due to Kerala floods.
Prince Philip and I were deeply saddened to learn of the devastation and loss of life caused by heavy rain and floods across Kerala.The message from the Queen read
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all who have lost loved ones, those whose homes and livelihoods have been affected by flooding across India, and the valiant rescue efforts to help all those in need," it further said.
Kerala on Tuesday sought a Rs 2,600 crore special package from the Centre even as the state struggled to find its feet after the devastating deluge that left 231 dead in a fortnight and displaced over 14 lakh people.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan chaired a meeting of the state cabinet, which decided to seek the special package under the centrally-sponsored schemes, including the flagship rural employment programme MNREGS.
As the cabinet took stock of the havoc caused by the unprecedented floods in a century, the Centre released Rs 600 crore to Kerala and decided to waive customs duty and GST on the relief materials being imported for the affected people.
An all party meeting extended unstinted support for the government's relief and rehabilitation measurers with leaders cutting across party lines assuring that they would all work together to rebuild the state.
(With inputs from PTI)
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