Two Shimla school students donate pocket money savings for disaster relief

Two students of a school here donated their pocket money towards the state disaster relief fund on Sunday by presenting their piggy banks to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, a statement said.

Aahana Verma of class 7 and Jiya Verma of class 2 contributed Rs 10,229 and Rs 9,806 respectively towards Aapada Rahat Kosh, it said.

Appreciating the gesture of the students, Sukhu said that it was a matter of happiness that the children were also donating towards the noble cause to mitigate the sufferings of the disaster-affected people.

These students have set an example of solidarity and compassion, he said.

Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the rain-caused calamity in the hill state a national disaster.

He said that Himachal Pradesh requires substantial assistance from the Union government to chart a path towards recovery and requested the PM to announce a special relief package for the state.

Sukhu has said that his state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 12,000 crore due to rain-related incidents this monsoon.