Kerala principal secretary Bishwanath Sinha urges people to help flood-hit children, seeks school supplies in donations

As Kerala builds itself back after the worst floods the state has seen in almost a century, help has poured in from other parts of the country as governments, prominent personalities and civillians alike have committed to providing essential items and financial aid. Bishwanath Sinha, a Kerala IAS officer, issued a statement on Wednesday appealing for essential school items for the children who have lost their possessions in the floods that caused large-scale death and destruction in the state. In the statement, Sinha, who is principal secretary to the state government, said that Kerala is “limping back to normalcy”, as four lakh families were displaced from their homes. He also said that the “marginalised sections of society” were reeling under “extreme pathetic conditions” after having lost their homes and livelihoods. “More than two lakh children belonging to the poorest sections of society need special care, and are in need of essential school going items,” Sinha’s statement said. Sinha listed the items required, which included school bags, water bottles, tiffin boxes, notebooks, pens, and pencils. He also mentioned the amount of each item needed. [caption id=“attachment_5120681” align=“alignleft” width=“768”] Statement issued by Bishwanath Sinha.[/caption]                                                       On 28 August, the government had said that an immediate relief of Rs 10,000 was to be disbursed to the flood-affected. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had issued necessary instructions to district collectors on the aid during a video conference to review the post-flood situation in the state. Meanwhile, several people have come forward, responding to the chief minister’s appeal to donate their one month’s salary for the chief minister’s disaster relief fund. With inputs from agencies