Relief work in J&K a priority, not my birthday: Modi
PM Narendra Modi: Relief Work in J&K a Priority, Not My Birthday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to friends and well-wishers not to celebrate his birthday and instead dedicate time and resources towards relief work in this hour of need for flood-ravaged Jammu and Kashmir.
- Gives a call not to celebrate his birthday
- Rs 5,700 crore loss in Kashmir floods
- Omar Abdullah orders doubling of ration
- Serious attempts made to rescue people: IAF
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to friends and well-wishers not to celebrate his birthday and instead dedicate time and resources towards relief work in this hour of need for flood-ravaged Jammu and Kashmir.
Modi's appeal came amid plans to celebrate his birthday on September 17 across the country, including in Gujarat where he will be present that day.
"I am hearing from different places that friends & well-wishers are planning various programmes and events for my birthday. My humble request - do not celebrate my birthday.
"Instead, dedicate yourselves towards relief work in Jammu and Kashmir through your time and resources. The need of the hour is to stand shoulder to shoulder with our sisters and brothers of Jammu and Kashmir," Modi said ahead of his 64th birthday.
Floods have caused a loss of around Rs.5,700 crore with heavy damages to trade, hotels, restaurants, horticulture and handicraft, Assocham said on Sunday.
"The total losses are estimated to be Rs.2,630 crore for hotels, trade, agriculture and horticulture, roads and bridges, while infrastructure like railways, power and communication would have suffered a loss of around Rs. 2,700-3,000 crore," Assocham said in a statement.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has directed concerned departments to redouble the ration supply to the valley.
The Chief Minister has directed the CAPD (Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution) to double the ration supply by roping in vehicles from SRTC. The CAPD has distributed 50 trucks of ration in Srinagar till now.
"We made serious attempts to rescue people marooned in flood waters based on inputs we got from various sources, including people," asserted top IAF official overseeing the marathon operations by his force amidst allegations by some people that forces had not reached all the affected people.
Air Vice Marshal Upkarjit Singh, Air Officer Commanding, told PTI that the IAF has pressed into service a large number of assets, including heavylift aircraft C-17s, C-130Js, IL-76s and AN-32s, for the rescue and relief operations code-named 'Operation Rahat-II'.
