Aamir Khan donates Rs 25 lakh towards Himachal Pradesh state disaster relief fund

Shimla: Superstar Aamir Khan has donated Rs 25 lakh towards the Aapada Rahat Kosh to provide succor to the rain-affected families in Himachal Pradesh, the state government said in a statement on Saturday.

Expressing his gratitude to the Hindi film actor, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the assistance will "undoubtedly support the relief and rehabilitation efforts aimed at helping the affected families to recover from the aftermath of the disaster." The chief minister said the fund will be judiciously utilised and they will ensure that it reaches those in dire need.

Earlier, Sukhu had donated all his savings worth Rs 51 lakh towards the Aapada Rahat Kosh to extend a helping hand to the disaster affected people of the state. The governments of Haryana, Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh had also provided help of over Rs 65 crores to the state to meet out the relief and rehabilitation measures.

Besides temple trusts, NGOs and individuals have also come forward to help. Heavy rains in the months of July and August have caused huge damage to the road infrastructure, water supply schemes, buildings and other private and public property.

A total of 287 people have died in rain related incidents since the onset of monsoon on June 24 till September 22. The Chief Minister had claimed that the state suffered losses to the tune of Rs 12,000 crore.

Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha had on Wednesday adopted a resolution by voice vote, urging the union government to declare recent calamity in the state as a national disaster and declaration of special relief package of Rs 12,000 crore for the state.

Inputs from PTI