.jpg?$p=5b0ce23&f=16x9&w=1080&q=0.8 "Kerala Bank writes off loans of Wayanad landslide victims, Chooralmala, Wayanad landslide, Kerala Bank, Wayanad landslide victims, Loans, Kerala News")
A few weeks after the devastating landslide tragedy in Wayanad, in which nearly 500 people lost their lives, Kerala Bank (a federation of regional cooperative banks) has decided to write off the entire loans of those who lost their lives in the disaster and those who lost their houses and properties. The board of the bank took this decision to provide relief to the affected families at its Chooralmala branch.
Earlier, Kerala Bank had donated Rs 50 lakh to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund and bank employees also voluntarily contributed five days’ salary to the fund.
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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide financial support for the reconstruction of those who lost everything in the Wayanad landslide and to help them deal with the challenges of climate change.
Vijayan handed over a memorandum to the Prime Minister during his visit to the disaster-hit region in Wayanad and also briefed Prime Minister Modi on the extent of the disaster and handed over a detailed note to the Prime Minister, a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office said.
CM Vijayan said that a thorough assessment of the damage is being carried out. Preliminary estimates put the losses in the thousands. A detailed report on the disaster will be submitted to the central government later.
Later, at a review meeting at the district administration in Wayanad, Prime Minister Modi also assured that the central government would provide all possible support for the relief efforts.
He promised to ensure that there would be no delay in the work due to lack of funds. The Prime Minister said the central government would make every effort to meet all the demands of the state governments.
He said that as soon as he was informed about the situation in Wayanad when the landslides took place, a state minister was sent to the state to take stock of the situation. Teams from the NDRF, Army and Air Force were also deployed for rescue and relief operations.
On July 30, the state of Kerala was hit by a landslide, the most devastating in the state, killing over 300 people and destroying numerous houses and other buildings.
On Sunday, Kerala Minister PA Mohamed Riyas said rescue workers had recovered three more body parts in the landslide-affected areas. According to the minister, 130 people are still missing following the devastating disaster that hit the district.
