WAYANAD LANDSLIDES

Rahul Gandhi contributes one month's salary to Wayanad landslide relief

Wayanad: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has donated his one month's salary -- Rs 2.3 lakh -- to the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) towards rehabilitation activities for the victims of the Wayanad landslides, the party's state unit said on Wednesday.

KPCC general secretary M Liju, in a statement, said that the donation was made to the funds being collected by the Congress' state unit as part of Gandhi's announcement that the party will build and provide 100 houses to the people of Wayanad who lost their loved ones, homes and livelihoods in the devastating landslides of July 30.

As part of the fundraising, a mobile app -- 'Stand with Wayand - INC -- has been created, the statement said. It also said that Congress MP K Sudhakaran was personally assessing the progress of the Wayanad rehabilitation work. It further said that party units, subsidiaries, MPs and MLAs have been notified about the amounts to be donated by them.

"Donations can be transferred directly by the Congress workers, supporters and leaders through the mobile app. Once the donation is received in the bank account, the donor will receive a direct message via SMS and a digital receipt with the signature of KPCC president K Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan," the statement said.

The KPCC has formed a nine-member committee to spearhead the fund-raising campaign and reconstruction activities. The KPCC has exempted its mandalam committees in Wayanad district from the fundraising activities.

Over 200 people died and 78 are still missing in the landslides that hit Punchirimattam, Chooralmala and Mundakkai villages under the Meppadi panchayat in Wayanad on July 3.