By Tendar Tsering
DHARAMSHALA, October 1: Expressing concern over the devastation caused by major flooding in India’s east coastal state of Orissa, the Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama donated Rs 10 lakhs to the Orissa state government.
In a condolence letter sent to the state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday, the Dalai Lama expressed his sadness over the loss of lives and devastation caused by the natural calamity.
“I am saddened to know that some of the worst floods ever seen in Orissa have resulted in the loss of many lives and a great deal of property, wreaking havoc on millions of people in your state,” said His Holiness.
The Tibetan spiritual said that he was making a donation of Rs. 10 lakhs from The Dalai Lama Trust “as a token of my sympathy and concern” to support the relief work.
The Dalai Lama’s last visit to Orissa was in 2010 when he held religious discourses and inaugurated a Buddhist monastery.
The letter also noted that a team of volunteers from the Tibetan settlement in Chandragiri, Ganjam District of Orissa was on its way to perform relief work in the flood affected areas.
The Phuntsokling Tibetan settlement in Orissa is one of the biggest Tibetan refuge settlements in India and home to hundreds of Tibetan refugees.
According to state government sources, 20 out of the 30 districts in the state have been affected in the recent successive floods, killing at least 40 people and damaging crops and houses worth of Rs 2121 crore.
The flood-ravaged Indian state is seeking help of $ 726 million in federal funds to cope with the destruction and to relocate thousands of people reported the Associated Press on Friday.
