Bollywood stars collect funds for flood-ravaged Bihar

Mumbai/New Delhi, Sept 7 : Bollywood celebrities on Sunday collected funds from the public for providing relief to the flood victims in Bihar.

Bollywood personalities including Rakhi Sawant, Manoj Bajpai, Raza Murad and a few others teamed up with members of ruling Congress party in Mumbai to collect funds.

They went on the streets of affluent suburbs with donation boxes asking for help from house owners and shopkeepers.

Celebrities said that people should keep away from petty politicking and contribute as much as possible for disaster-struck Bihar.

"The political parties who are playing regional games should take lesson from Nana Patekar, that this is not the time for playing politics. One should open their hearts; they should rise up to the occasion. They should contribute and forget that one is Gujarati, Marathi, or Maharashtrian; one should just remember that firstly we are Indian, and Bihar is part of India," said Raza Murad, Bollywood actor.

Bollywood actor Nana Patekar recently donated 55,972 dollars for the flood victims.

Meanwhile actor-turned politician, Shatrughan Sinha flagged off two truckloads of relief material from New Delhi on Sunday.

Sinha told reporters that more and more help was required for the flood victims.

"I would say that we have received a lot of help form all spheres. I believe that more is required but people at present have helped a lot. Even the Central Government has helped a lot. I don't remember that central government ever refused anything, in fact it gave more than what was asked," said Sinha.

The floods have forced more than three million people from their homes, destroyed 250,000 acres of farmland and killed at least 90 people.

Home to 90 million people, Bihar is one of India's poorest states and nearly 56 per cent of its young children are malnourished, far higher than the 43 per cent average nationally, UNICEF officials said.

ANI