Maharashtra: CM Devendra Fadnavis, ministers to donate one-month salary for flood relief

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and all Cabinet ministers on Tuesday decided to donate their one-month salary towards the Chief Minister' Relief Fund in view of devastation caused by floods.

This amount will be utilised for providing relief and facilitating rehabilitation of those affected by floods, said an official from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO). As many as 43 people have lost their lives in floods and rain-related incidents in Maharashtra. Floods had caused largescale destruction in Kolhapur and Sangli districts of western Maharashtra, besides affecting Satara, Pune and Solapur districts.

Thane, Nashik, Palghar, Ratnagiri, Raigad and Sindhudurg districts had also received heavy rains. Ministers of State Yogesh Sagar and Vidya Thakur, Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagade were among the first to donate their salaries. Separately, Mumbai Congress leader Milind Deora has appealed to party leaders, including incumbent and former MPs, legislators, corporators from Mumbai to donate their one-month salary/pension for the flood relief.

The Mumbai Congress will be sending trucks of relief material to the flood-affected areas in the next few days. Meanwhile, help in cash and kind is pouring in for the flood victims from various quarters. Harman Finodchem Ltd. has donated Rs 51 lakh while Gurudwara Board Takht Sachkhand Shri Huzur Abchal Nagar Sahib, Nanded, has provided food and medical assistance in Kolhapur and Sangli.

Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje Sakhar Udyog has donated Rs 10.51 lakh, Super Agriculture Produce Market Committee contributed Rs 11 lakh and Aurangabad District Cooperative Milk Producer Union Rs 25 lakh, the CMO official said. Maharashtra unit of the BJP had already decided to adopt flood-hit villages in western Maharashtra and Konkan regions.

State BJP president Chandrakant Patil had on Monday asked BJP leaders from the level of sarpanchs to MLAs and MLCs to donate their one-month salary or wages for the relief work. He also appealed to BJP workers to donate minimum amount of Rs 100 for the cause.

-PTI