Kakinada: Simhachalam Devasthanam on Wednesday donated 120 cows and cattle to 44 tribal families living in Alluri Sitaramaraju district, so that they could earn their livelihood.
It may be recalled that six months ago, lightning struck three remote panchayats – Injari, Ligeti and Jamuguda – on the Andhra-Odisha border in Alluri Sitaramaraju district. It resulted in the death of three farmers and 120 cattle.
Following the tragedy, several of the affected, including families of the deceased, submitted representations to district collector Sumith Kumar seeking financial assistance. The collector held discussions with district superintendent of police Satish Kumar and Animal Husbandry Department officials.
Following the discussions, the collector sought help from Simhachalam Devasthanam, which agreed to donate 120 cows and cattle to the affected families.
Officials have arranged vans for transporting the cattle to remote villages.
Tribal families have also sought from the collector cattle feed, as their areas are upland with no sufficient grazing grounds. Sumith Kumar promised to provide them feed, though only for three months, by when tribal families are expected to recover from their loss.
