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Dalai Lama offers prayers, donation to Bihar flood victims

By Lobsang Wangyal | Tibet Sun

Flood-affected people carry their belongings as they wait to be evacuated by a rescue team at Mirchabari Vnanga village of Madhepura district in India’s eastern state of Bihar on 31 August 2008.Reuters/Rupak De Chowdhuri/India

In a letter sent to Nitesh Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar, the Dalai Lama wrote, “I am saddened that floods in Bihar have wreaked havoc on millions of people and their properties in one of the worst floods in your State.”

“Therefore, I am sending you a donation of Rs. 10 lakhs (Ten lakh rupees) towards relief work as a token of my sympathy and concern over this disaster.”

Around 100 people have died and over a million people have been affected by floods in three districts of the northern Indian state of Bihar.

The flooding occured after the monsoon-swollen Kosi river burst a dam in neighbouring Nepal on 18 August and changed its course, swamping hundreds of villages and destroying more than 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) of farmlands in Bihar.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who visited the affected areas, has called the floods a “national calamity” and announced an aid package of 228 million dollars.

Survivors of the devastating floods have complained of failing rescue operation, accusing the government of abandoning those still stranded in remote villages.

Agencies report that the minister in charge of the Disaster Management of Bihar, Nitish Mishra, said that his office was facing an uphill battle, with a vast area to cover and few resources. “The problem is that the area is huge and more than 1,000 villages are in the water. We need more boats.”

The Dalai Lama said that he would be offering prayers for those who have lost their lives and properties because of the devastating floods.

He was discharged from Lilavati Hospital today (Monday) in Mumbai after undergoing tests for an abdominal pain. He was admitted to the hospital on Thursday.

The doctors attending on him have assured that there is absolutely no cause for concern, but advised him to take a good rest.

Copyright © 2008 Tibet Sun

Published in Tibet Sun