<p class="title">An amount of USD 6,00,000 will be sent to UNICEF to strengthen relief and rehabilitation efforts in Kerala which witnessed its worst deluge in nearly a century, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The emergency grant aims to bolster government efforts and initiatives by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the enormous task of assisting displaced, flood-affected people and helping them rebuild their lives, the foundation said in a statement.</p>.<p class="bodytext">UNICEF, along with NGOs, is currently working in tandem with district administrations to spearhead relief efforts.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation extends its sympathies to the thousands of families affected by Kerala’s worst floods in nearly a century," Chris Elias, president of Global Development at the foundation, was quoted as saying in the statement.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We hope that our grant of fast and flexible funding will help UNICEF work with local governments and NGOs to prevent the outbreak of water-borne diseases and other severe health risks associated with flooding," Elias said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Heavy rains and flooding have claimed 231 lives since August 8 in the second spell of the monsoon. More than 10.40 lakh people are still in relief camps across the state.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The state has suffered an estimated loss of Rs 20,000 crore due to the floods and sought an interim assistance of Rs 2,600 crore from the Centre, besides a special package of a similar amount under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. </p>
<p class="title">An amount of USD 6,00,000 will be sent to UNICEF to strengthen relief and rehabilitation efforts in Kerala which witnessed its worst deluge in nearly a century, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The emergency grant aims to bolster government efforts and initiatives by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the enormous task of assisting displaced, flood-affected people and helping them rebuild their lives, the foundation said in a statement.</p>.<p class="bodytext">UNICEF, along with NGOs, is currently working in tandem with district administrations to spearhead relief efforts.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation extends its sympathies to the thousands of families affected by Kerala’s worst floods in nearly a century," Chris Elias, president of Global Development at the foundation, was quoted as saying in the statement.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We hope that our grant of fast and flexible funding will help UNICEF work with local governments and NGOs to prevent the outbreak of water-borne diseases and other severe health risks associated with flooding," Elias said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Heavy rains and flooding have claimed 231 lives since August 8 in the second spell of the monsoon. More than 10.40 lakh people are still in relief camps across the state.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The state has suffered an estimated loss of Rs 20,000 crore due to the floods and sought an interim assistance of Rs 2,600 crore from the Centre, besides a special package of a similar amount under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. </p>