Kerala is striving to get back on its feet as it struggles against the repurcussions of the most disastrous rain and floods in 100 years. More than 370 people have lost their lives in the calamity and about eight lakh people are marooned and left homeless. Though the flood water has begun to recede, the rebuilding of ransacked Kerala could take years. The predicted loss in the state is more than Rs.19,000 crores and to improvise the current situation, aid is pouring in from all quarters.
Dubbing the current situation of Kerala and its citizens as gross, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh declared an immediate relief of Rs. 100 crore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced an instant financial assistance of Rs. 500 crore to the flood-hit Kerala. He even declared to give Rs. 2 lakh to every person who is the next blood relative of the deceased and Rs. 50,000 to the seriously injured people from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).
Even though NGOs, Central government, and other state governments are assisting in the relief works, citizens across the country can also lend a helping hand to the people affected by the Kerala floods. From budding businesses conceiving creative approaches to help the distressed people to different state governments and legacy companies donating to the cause, entire India has joined hands to help the Kerala flood victims.
If you are also keen to lend your support to Kerala and contribute towards the cause but don’t know how here is the information:
Monetary Donations:
1. Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund
You can make a donation to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) to help the Kerala flood victims. The donations can be made by way of debit or credit cards, net banking, demand draft, cheques, payment apps, mobile wallets, or UPI. The contributions made to this fund are fully exempted from tax.
If you wish to donate online: Visit the official website of Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) – https://donation.cmdrf.kerala.gov.in/
The account details for donating online to this fund:
Name of Donee: Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund
Account number: 67319948232
Bank name: State Bank of India
Branch: City branch, Thiruvananthapuram
IFS Code: SBIN0070028
PAN: AAAGD0584M
Procedure to donate money online to Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund
- Visit the website – donation.cmdrf.kerala.gov.in
- Fill the Online Donation Form available on the donate menu.
- Enter the payment type, name, email ID, mobile number and the amount of donation.
- Once the form is filled, your page will be redirected to a payment gateway. Now you can make the payment either through internet banking, debit card or credit card.
- You will receive a notification on the display and also on your email ID if the payment made is successful.
If you wish to pay through a cheque/demand draft: You can address the cheque/demand draft to:
The Principal Secretary (Finance) Treasurer,
Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund,
Secretariat,
Thiruvananthapuram – 695001
2. Paytm: Paytm has collaborated with the Kerala Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund. Click on the ‘Kerala/Kodagu Floods’ icon on the home screen of the app or the website and enter the amount that you want to donate. The only concern while donating an amount through Paytm is it will not give any tax exemptions acknowledgment.
3. MobiKwik: MobiKwik, largest digital financial services company, is running social media campaigns to encourage people all over India to make donations through this app towards Kerala’s Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF). The company also pledged to donate Rs. 5 for every donation made through this app.
4. Truecaller: You can also make a donation to the CM Relief Fund with the help of Truecaller by way of quick UPI or net banking transfer.
Other methods of donation:
1. Amazon: You can also donate products via Amazon India app for the Kerala flood victims. Amazon has partnered with 4 NGOs – Goonj, World Vision India, Habitat for Humanity India, and Oxfam India. You can select either of the NGOs listed on the app, select the products and add them to the cart. After checking out, you can choose a suitable payment method.
2. Big Basket: It has tied up with Goonj to provide food items to the flood victims in Kerala. Click on ‘Kerala Flood Relief’ page available on the home page of the app. This page contains a shopping list of food products like sugar, rice, and dal from which you can make a selection to donate to the cause. The app is also offering a discount of 20% on the next orders for the shoppers who contribute towards Kerala floods.
3. Zomato: Food delivery app, Zomato has partnered with Akshay Patra, an NGO providing mid-day meals to children in schools, to allow its users donate meals for the people residing in the relief camps in Kerala.
4. Flipkart: Flipkart, an online shopping website, has tied up with Goonj to provide monetary help to the Kerala flood victims. People can make a monetary donation which will be utilized to acquire products of daily use like woollens and blankets, ropes and tarpaulins/ old flex, mosquito nets, spices, pulses, rice, tea, sugar, rava, toiletries, cooking utensils, buckets and mugs, candles and matchboxes, water purifier tablets, clothes for kids, solar lights, sarees, petticoat, blouses, bedsheets and curtains, undergarments, slippers, toys and school material.
Donate through NGOs
1. Anbodu Kochi, an NGO located in Kochi, began accumulating relief materials from 11th August. The relief materials include drinking water, toiletries, ORS packets, sleeping mats, bags, ready-to-eat food, clothes, utensils, and blankets. They have set up some collection centers in six different cities – Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad to gather necessary materials required to help flood victims. The NGO refused to collect any money and believed in collecting products. Rescue call centers have also been started to help the flood victims. The contact numbers are 8592933330, 9207703393.
2. Goonj, a Delhi-based NGO, is carrying out rescue and relief operations in the flood-hit Kerala. It is accepting donations in its bank account and also through its Ketto fundraising drive.
To contribute money: https://goonj.org/contribute/
To contribute relief material: https://goonj.org/droping-centres
3. Oxfam India is also carrying out the relief and rescue operations in Kerala. It is accepting donations through its fundraising campaign on crowdfunding platform Ketto.
To donate: https://www.oxfamindia.org/kerala-floods-2018/?utm_source=OINHome&utm_medium=organic
4. HelpAge India, an NGO working for the deprived senior citizens, is also accepting donations to support the cause.
5. Habitat for Humanity Rapid Response, and Indo Global Social Service Society are also conducting fundraising drives.
6. Milaap has also launched a campaign for the Kerala floods.
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