Kerala floods: HDFC Bank adopts 30 flood-hit villages in crisis-hit state

HDFC Bank today announced that it will adopt 30 flood-hit villages in Kerala to support relief and rehabilitation efforts. The bank has donated Rs 10 crore to Chief Minister's Relief Fund on August 28, 2018.  The bank said that it will set up medical camps and rebuild health centres affected in by flood, support the renovation/reconstruction of local schools, impart skills training to families to restore livelihood.

These measures will be finalised in consultation with the state government and will be a long-term plan, it said. The Bank’s local NGO partners will help provide on-ground help in the process. Additionally, the bank has contributed Rs 10 crore to the Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund as an immediate relief measure. The bank's employees contributed a day’s salary with the bank. “We stand with the people of Kerala in this hour of distress,” said Aditya Puri, Managing Director, HDFC Bank Ltd. 
 
“While we continue to pray for their speedy return to normalcy, we hope through our efforts (that) we are able to make a small but meaningful impact on people’s lives as they come out of their suffering,” he added. Speaking on this, Srikumar Nair, Zonal Head - Kerala, HDFC Bank said “At HDFC Bank, we believe in giving back to the communities that we operate in. Through this initiative, we hope to create a substantial impact in the recovery process from the natural disaster. We would also like to thank our employees who have contributed to this effort.”
 
HDFC Bank also waived late payment fees on EMIs/dues on loans and credit cards in August for its Kerala customers and enabled contribution to the chief minister’s disaster relief fund. The bank is also working round the clock to restore normalcy in banking operations. So far almost all branches and 291 of 331 ATMs are functioning normally in the state, the statement said.