The All India Trade union Congress (AITUC) has urged all its affiliated unions to contribute a day’s wages to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund as a contribution to the ongoing rain relief work.
H.V. Ananthasubba Rao, general secretary, AITUC in a letter addressed to Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said the AITUC had directed trade unions to actively participate in the relief work like collecting clothes, medicines and money.
He said: “As you are aware the entire north Karnataka has been ravaged by the fury of rains the like of which the State has not seen in the recent past. Probably the damage to life and property is much more than what is being estimated. People have lost lives. Hundreds of thousands of homes have been destroyed in floods, rendering large number of people homeless. Crops have been lost and farmers have suffered losses running into crores of rupees. Even the speedy relief measurers will take some time to reach the affected people”.
No doubt the Government is making efforts to come to the succour of the people who are facing the fury of the rain and floods. “We in the AITUC, have directed all our trade unions to contribute a day’s wages to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, so that we can also lend our hands to help the Government. We have also directed our trade unions to actively participate in the relief measurers like collecting clothes, medicines, money etc. for this cause. No doubt this is a small step from our side so that in this hour of trail and tribulations of the destitute people, working class will stand in solidarity. The AITUC will be happy if the employers are also persuaded to donate liberally for this cause without any loss of time”.
The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) has also decided to pitch in with relief work by launching a drive to collect clothes, medicines and food from people to distribute among the flood hit on October 6, 7 and 8.
B. Rajshekhar Murthy, secretary of DYFI, has said that the Government should take up construction work under NREGA to rebuild property that has been lost in heavy rains.
