Quake: Gujarat cabinet, BJP MLAs to donate month's salary

AHMEDABAD: BJP ministers including Chief Minister Anandiben Patel and party MLAs will donate a month's salary to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund for the victims of the Nepal earthquake.

Chief Minister, ministers, state Assembly Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Chief Whips of BJP will donate Rs 65,000 each while ruling party MLAs will donate Rs 55,000 each for the quake victims of Nepal, state health minister and spokesperson Nitin Patel said.

"The donations, total of which comes to Rs 69.40 lakhs will be made to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund," Patel said.

The minister said that the state government is already providing relief material in form of food packets for the people of the Nepal.

"In coordination with the Centre's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) we have sent 25,000 food packets to Nepal," he added.

Patel said that a team of state officials will soon go to Nepal to coordinate Centre's relief work in that country.

The state government with the help of the Centre has made elaborate arrangements for the return of Gujarati tourists stranded in Nepal, most of whom are back, he said.

There were around 550 Gujarati tourists in Nepal when the devastating earthquake struck the Himalayan nation where the death toll has touched 6000 till now.