Kerala floods: India Inc extends aid to inundated Kerala

With heavy rains continuing to wreak havoc in Kerala, India Inc has extended relief measures to the victims by offering donations.

Meanwhile, industry body CII has set up a task force chaired by its former president Kris Gopalakrishnan to work on relief measures for victims in flood devastated Kerala in coordination with the state government and the district administrations.

While JSW Group said it has initiated a group-wide initiative wherein its employees voluntarily contribute in cash as well as in kind, TVS Motor Company has contributed Rs one crore to the Kerala Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF).

"The flood situation in Kerala and the destruction, it has left behind, is distressing. As a responsible corporate citizen, JSW has initiated a Group-wide initiative wherein our employees voluntarily contribute in cash as well as in kind. The contribution made by our employees will be matched by JSW Group equally and will be pledged towards Kerala's flood relief measures," JSW Group official spokesperson said in a statement.

The company said that it is committed towards helping people affected by floods in Kerala.

"TVS Motor Company contributed Rs 1 crore to the Kerala Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF), in lieu of the distressing flood situation in Kerala. The cheque was handed over to Kerala Chief Minister

Pinarayi Vijayan by Swaran Singh, CEO, Srinivasan Services Trust (SST)- the social arm of TVS Motor Company in Thiruvananthapuram," the firm said.

As far as Nissan India is concerned, the company has stepped forward to extend service support to flood affected victims in the state.

"Special emergency repair teams have been set up and additional trained manpower will be deployed from dealerships in neighbouring states to expedite turnaround time for the repairs. Free towing service is being offered and repairs will be carried out under the guidance of Nissan technical experts," it said in a statement.

Nissan India has also issued an essential safety advisory through customer care and has set up a round the clock special desk for faster insurance claims and settlement for flood-affected vehicles.

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CII said it is in touch with various government agencies and local authorities to assess the situation and initiate most urgent relief operations in the affected areas.

"Emergency Response Centres are being set up in the CII offices in Kochi, Trivandrum and Chennai to coordinate and facilitate all efforts, the chamber said.

Hundreds of people have died in flood-related incidents in Kerala.

Several people are stranded in buildings in various districts. Many of them, including children, were rescued from various waterlogged areas.

Assocham said Kerala would have suffered massive economic losses to the tune of Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 crore with a staggered impact of a few months on tourism, cash crops and trade including international trade from Kochi and other ports.