Software major's philanthropic arm Infosys Foundation would build houses in Karnataka's flood-hit Kodagu district at a cost of Rs 25 crore, Chairperson Sudha Murty said on Wednesday.
"The Foundation will build houses in Kodagu, which was devasted by heavy rains, flash floods and landslides last month. We will spend Rs 25 crore to provide shelter to the flood victims whose houses collapsed or were washed away in the disaster," Murty said inaugurating the 10-day Dussehra festival here.
The state government had invited Sudha, wife of Infosys co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy, to flag off the world-famous Dussehra festival in this city of palaces, about 150km from Bengaluru.
Asserting that it was the duty of the citizens to help the state government in restoring normalcy in the hill district, 68-year-old Sudha urged the authorities to ensure timely water and power supply, so that the affected people staying in the relief camps could shift when the new houses were ready for occupation.
Torrential rains wreaked havoc in the district, causing floods and landslides, forcing thousands to leave their homes and reside in temporary shelters.
The hill district in the rich bio-diverse Western Ghats is about 270km southwest of the state capital (Bengaluru).
To help the flood victims, the Foundation on August 24 rushed 25,000 water bottles, steel utensils, mats, buckets and mugs for 250 families -- together worth over Rs 25 lakh.
"I am grateful to Sudha Murty for announcing Rs 25 crore for the victims of Kodagu flood. A noble gesture indeed," tweeted state Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on the occasion.
The Chief Minister, who was present at the fest inauguration, lauded Sudha for her simplicity, compassion and selfless work.
Set up in 1996 by the company's co-founders and management executives with a seed capital for corpus, the Foundation supports programmes in healthcare, education and rural development, arts and culture and destitute care.
--IANS
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