Kerala distress relief fund received Rs 728 Crore till Aug 28

Thiruvanthapuram, Aug 30: Kerala Chief Minister distress relief fund (CMDRF) has received Rs. 738 Crores till August 28.

According to a report in The Times of India, as many as 3.91 lakh persons have so far contributed to CMDRF since August 14. The humanitarian aid received by the state's CMDRF has surpassed all other relief funds.

Monetary donations given to help flood victims in Kerala will entail tax benefits under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961. However, one must donate through registered aid agencies, or preferably, to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund. In fact, donations made to Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund and Prime Minister's National Relief Fund by individuals, trusts and organisation will get 100% exemption as per income tax rule under Section 80G(2)(iii hf).

Meanwhile, CM Pinarayi Vijayan said, "We should discuss and decide whether rehabilitation should be done in the areas which are prone to landslide and floods."

The central government had released Rs. 600 crore to flood-hit Kerala as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ( Rs 500 crore) and Home Minister Rajnath Singh (Rs 100 crore) during their visits to the state.