Tsunami donors to get PM's letter of thanks

A delegation of students from Pakistan who handed over a cheque of $1000 to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for tsunami relief, at least got to meet him personally.

But those who have mailed cheques need not worry. The Prime Minister has instructed officials at the Prime Minister's Relief Fund to send every donor a personally signed "thank you" letter.

While the gesture is welcome, it has put officials in a fix since they will have to sign nearly 89,000 letters in the next few weeks.

The Prime Minister, who has been greatly touched by the flood of generous donations, wants to make a personal gesture of thanks. Till now, nearly Rs 770 crore has been donated to the PM relief fund after tsunami hit the Indian coastline on December 26, 2004.

"We have been receiving as many as 40 cheques a day," said a PMO official. The PMO was expecting the flood to taper off by now, but to its surprise donations continue to pour in.

"The peak was on the New Year's eve (December 31, 2004), when 450 people sent in their contributions of varying figures," said the official. The cancellation of new year revelry was also gesture of solidarity.

The PM relief fund is the second fund set up by the PMO after the Prime Minister's National Defence Fund, set up after the 1962 Chinese aggression.

The fund was aimed at taking charge of voluntary donations made for the use of Services and families of servicemen. That fund stands at Rs 350 crore for this financial year. The PM relief fund has set a record of sorts this year, with tsunami relief attracting more donations than even the Gujarat earthquake.

Now the only thing left for the PMO officials is to flex those fingers and start signing the "thank you" letters.