AHMEDABAD, June 25, 2013: A group of citizens from Mehsana will set off for Dehradun with relief material for flood-ravaged Uttarakhand on June 26. Mitra Mandal, the group, will go door-to-door to markets, societies and different parts of the town for three days to collect donations for victims.

"We collected food items like rice, jaggery, cooking oil, biscuits from wholesale market on the very first day. The footwear market has promised to donate 1,000 pairs of shoes," said Jaydeep Dabhi, president of Mitra Mandal. They will start their journey to Uttarakhand in trucks and hand over the collection to the Army.

The Gujarat government on Monday held a review meeting to enable easy transit and provide greater relief to those affected by the flash floods in Uttarakhand.

The Gujarat government announced Rs 2 lakh ex gratia each for the kin of pilgrims from Gujarat who died whle on the char dham yatra. Moreover, the state government has decided to grant another Rs 3 crore to the Uttarakhand government as part of the relief package. Earlier, the government had announced Rs 2 crore relief. The total amount now is Rs 5 crore.

Source: The Times of India, DT. June 25, 2013.