Monks lend helping hand to quake victims in Nepal

KOLKATA: In a noble move, monks of the Ramakrishna Math and Bharat Sevashram Sangha have started relief works in the quake-hit Nepal.

From its centres in Lucknow, Patna, Darjeeling and Kathmandu, a team of 12 monks assisted by 50 volunteers were directly involved in the relief work, Ramakrishna Math's assistant secretary Subirananda Maharaj said.

Maharaj said that the monks were providing all relief materials like food, milk, tarpaulin, blankets to the victims.

"From Lucknow our team has reached Gorkha district, the worst affected area. And from Darjeeling side, they have went as much as 365 km inside Nepal to provide relief materials," he said.

Bharat Sevashram Sangha has formed a relief team of 10 monks and 20 volunteers from India which was providing relief materials and making shelter arrangements for affected people, general secretary of the organisation Swami Biswatmananda said.

Nepal was ravaged by a major earthquake on April 25 which killed 7,557 and injured twice as many.