KOCHI: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has sought a financial assistance of Rs 150 cr from Malayali Diaspora in the US for rebuilding the state after the ruinous floods. Attending a function of the Malayali community in the US at Rockland Country, the first public engagement of Pinarayi after his treatment in a US hospital, Chief Minister said Malayalees across the world should come forward for a global salary challenge for rebuilding the state.
Pinarayi has also said finance minister Thomas Isaac will be send to the US for collecting the funds for the rebuilding of the state. He also added that a meeting of the persons capable of contributing to the reconstruction of Kerala will be held within three months.
Everyone should cooperate for the rebuilding of Kerala, he said, and added that without the cooperation construction of new Kerala will not be possible. “We are expecting Rs 150 cr as the share of American Malayalees as part of the global salary challenge”, he said. The Malayali collectives in the US can decide the modalities for raising the resources.
Addressing the Mala-yali community early in the morning the Chief Minister also stated that crowd funding is essential for the rebuilding of the state. He said the rebuilding will be undertaken after assessing the damages and loses.
“The American Malay-alees should be ready for making investments in Kerala. They should also undertake some of the rebuilding projects”, he added.
The Chief Minister said the money getting under the national disaster relief fund will not be sufficient for the rebuilding of Kerala. All those capable of sparing salary of a month should participate in the global salary challenge.
The Chief Minister was given a rousing welcome to the meeting by the local Malayali community when he arrived for the function.
