Hyderabad Rains: Film stars and fellow states contribute generously towards Telangana's relief efforts

The Telugu film industry (TFI) has lent a helping hand to the Telangana government in providing relief to the flood affected people in Hyderabad.

“Megastar” Chiranjeevi and Mahesh Babu have donated Rs one crore each to the Chief Minister's relief fund, while Jr NTR and Nagarjuna provided Rs 50 lakh each. Other film personalities like actor Ram Pothineni donated Rs 25 lakh, young actor Vijay Devarakonda and popular director Trivikram Srinivas donated Rs 10 lakh each.

More “stars” are expected to follow suit, contributing big-heartedly to the fund.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had pegged the losses suffered by the state due to the unprecedented rains and floods last week at Rs 5,000 crore. He has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealing for Rs 1,350 crore as immediate relief.

While awaiting the centre’s response, Rao has, on Monday, appealed to business establishments and others to contribute generously for the CMRF to help those worst-affected.

Responding with their contributions, the actors appealed to everyone to contribute according to their might in this time of need. Minister for municipal administration and urban development KT Rama Rao, who is overseeing the rescue and rehabilitation efforts in Hyderabad city, thanked all the film stars on Twitter in replies to their announcements on the social media platform.

Earlier this year, the TFI had come forward in a big way aiding the government financially to mitigate the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of the lockdown on the vulnerable such as migrant labor.

Fellow states chip in

After Tamil Nadu’s Rs 10 crore donation, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has announced Rs 15 crore towards Telangana government’s flood relief efforts.

Read | TN gives Rs 10 crore to flood-hit Telangana; Palaniswami lauds Rao

“Floods have caused havoc in Hyderabad. People of Delhi stand by our brother and sisters in Hyderabad in this hour of crisis,” Kejriwal said in a tweet on Tuesday.

Also Read | Delhi govt to donate Rs 15 crore for Telangana flood relief

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee who communicated with Rao on Tuesday said that people of her state, who few months back had faced the super cyclone Amphan that caused huge losses, can feel the sufferings of Telangana citizens.

In a letter to Rao, Banerjee said that her government, as a mark of solidarity with Telangana people, would contribute Rs two crore to the T-CMRF.

Rao spoke with his counterparts on phone, appreciating their generous help in time of need.

The ruling TRS’s minsters, MPs, MLAs, MLCs representing Hyderabad region too pledged their two-month salaries towards the CMRF.