Raghav Bahl, Founder of The Quint, has issued an official statement following an Income Tax department raid which took place at his Noida residence early morning on Thursday,11th October 2018.

Below is the official statement by Raghav Bahl:

All So-Called “Bogus” LTCGs Were Filed & Assessed to Tax

(Statement from Raghav Bahl, Ritu Kapur & Quintillion Media Group)

From 7.45 am on Thursday to 6 am on Friday, for 23 incessant hours, nearly 500 journalists and other professionals of the Quintillion Media Group, were held to the most intrusive ransom by India’s tax officers. However, we are immensely proud of our team, that gave them full access and cooperation, often pointing towards information and assets that they may have missed during their search/survey operations.

But then, when we woke up after a 3-hour sleep, we were astonished to see that a blatant attempt had been made by the government’s spin-masters to say that the action was part of a year-long investigation into some Long-Term Capital Gains (LTCG) scam, whereby Raghav Bahl and Ritu Kapur had made “bogus” income of Rs 118 crore. Without much ado, here are the facts of that case (not claims): ·

All these and other gains/losses were fully detailed/declared in the appropriate year of tax filings; and more importantly, were accepted and assessed to tax, under this very government! · So the attempt to “colour” our tax returns, now, as “bogus”, is clearly a frame-up, and we shall take every legal recourse to protect our fair name and reputation in this case.

But this also alerted us to the imminent possibility that more such frame-ups shall be attempted now. Therefore, picking up from the key points of yesterday’s “interrogation”, we would like to put the facts (again, not claims) for the non-partisan and fair people in this world to judge for themselves.

Cash/Jewellery at home: All that was recovered was Rs 3.56 lacs in Indian currency, and Rs 33 odd lacs in modern and ancestral jewellery, almost entirely from my 82-year-old mother’s cupboard. All of these assets are duly assessed and declared in past returns. Is it really that surprising that people of that age/generation feel more secure holding such a moderate amount within physical proximity?

Flat in London: since both our children expect to or have graduated from a University in London, we decided, as a family, to invest most of our legally permitted LRS remittances (currently at $ 250,000 per family member per year) in buying access to such an asset. Accordingly, we made a booking in a new apartment building a few years back and pooled our annual LRS remittances for this purpose. All of this has been fully declared in Schedule F of our income tax filings. In fact, we were asked, at least half a dozen times yesterday, by the tax officers, whether “we had fully declared these assets in Schedule F, including all details of overseas bank accounts?”. When we answered, half a dozen times, in the positive, we could see that they were disappointed!

RIL Transaction: Clearly, the focus then shifted to the sale of our shares in Network18 to Reliance Industries Limited in 2014. We promptly gave them a copy of the share sale agreement and full access to past emails on this subject. They followed up with several questions about the status of the current subsidiaries of Network18, and all we could say was that we have no access to any information after our exit, and they will have to reach out to Network18.

Viacom18 JV: There was much confusion around this JV, which was done in 2008. They seemed to imply that it was done as a “round tripping” exercise by TV18! They also repeatedly confused this transaction with other subsidiaries/companies, including HomeShop18 and India Film Company. From memory, we did set the record straight and asked them to reach out to Network18 for further details.

BloombergQuint (BQ) JV: This one was truly surprising. They kept on insisting that we had got “Rs 10 cr from Bloomberg invested in the JV without a formal FIPB clearance”. In fact, at one stage they even asserted this was a case of “round tripping” again! But when we produced a copy of our FIPB approval for this investment by Bloomberg in Quintillion Business Media (P) Ltd (our JV company), I reckon they had little option other than to accept the fact. (As an aside, there has been a report in a leading pink paper today that the nearly 2-year delay in receiving approval for BQ’s TV channel is because the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has raised some “security concerns”. We challenge the government to put the MHA report on this subject in the public domain. We can say with absolute confidence that MHA has given a “categorical” clearance to us on security grounds, and the delay is on some other account).

Link to Advantage/Artevea/Reddy: They asked us whether we had ever had any transaction with either Advantage Consulting or Artevea Digital (UK) or one Mr CBN Reddy. Our answer was a quick and categorical “no”. No caveats, no qualifications. We have never had any transactions with any of these entities.

Collateral Raids on Downstream JVs: There were similar/simultaneous surveys carried out at our investee companies, viz The News Minute (Bangalore), Quintype India (Bangalore) and Youth Ki Awaaz (Delhi). If the search/survey was linked to some transactions of ours that took place in 2014, then why were these investee companies searched in the same investigation? All of our investments in these companies have taken place after 2015; in any case, we do not control them on a day-to-day basis, we are only passive investors, so then why were these companies targeted? Clearly, it was a fishing expedition, to spread the net wide, and somehow, somehow, catch something.

Use of Private Digital Experts in a Tax Search: This one astounded us. Since this was our first such experience, we had no clue that the digital experts used to clone data, and do other digital surveillance, during such raids, belong not to the tax department, but to private contractors! So where is the privacy of this key data? Who is responsible for its misuse? What indemnity do we have? This is an issue that requires serious deliberation and comment, and we reserve our right to take further action here. We will urge that this issue be taken up by privacy activists and concerned citizens.

In conclusion, we reiterate that we are absolutely in the clear, that we shall mount a robust legal defence against every trumped-up charge that is brought against us; that we are making these disclosures to pre-empt further character assassination against us, to thwart attempts through leaks, plants, and trolls; that we warn our fellow news colleagues to be vigilant against similar state vendetta; and end with thanking everybody who stood by us and supported us. This battle shall be fought, and not lost!

Tags Raghav bahl The quint Income Tax Department

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Not many of the yoga worshipping generation in the US are probably aware of the fact that they owe the introduction of this life-transforming practice to their country to Swami Vivekananda, the first Hindu monk to cross the mighty oceans to reach the west and speak about the richness, expansiveness and the universal appeal of the Indian spiritual culture.
Swami Vivekananda was in all practical purposes the first ‘brand ambassador’ of India. The aura, mystique and charm associated with Brand India today owes its allegiance to this thoroughly modern nineteenth century saint, philosopher, poet, author, speaker, humanist, deep thinker and spiritual dynamo from Kolkata. He was the famous disciple of the nineteenth century ‘yuga avatar’ Sri Thakur Ramakrishna Paramahansa. Narendranath Dutta or Naren was Swami Vivekananda’s pre-monastic name.

While he was in Chennai before undertaking the trip to Chicago, it is said that he used to get regular visions from his master Sri Ramakrishna, urging him to attend the World Parliament of Religions. Then, one day, Thakur ‘appeared’ before him and told him that the World Parliament of Regions in Chicago was getting ready for him. The stage was being set for his grand arrival in the spiritual firmament of the world. There could not have been a clearer indication of the intense adulation that was to follow for Thakur Sri Ramakrishna’s favourite disciple.

When Swami Vivekananda started his speech at the august forum of The World Parliament of Religions in 1893 at Chicago by addressing his audience as “sisters and brothers of America”, he got a thunderous standing ovation that lasted more than two minutes. The spontaneous and heart-felt reaction from the audience was symbolic of the imprint his message would create in the hearts and minds of humanity across the world. A ratification of his master’s prediction.



His message of harmony, tolerance and universal acceptance stirred the depths of the human soul and re-established the relevance of practical spirituality in the lives of people, in a world torn by jealousy, greed, hatred & bloodshed.

He laid the contours of a universal religion, underlining the man-making philosophy of Vedanta, where the only goal of every person should be the expansion of his personality and gradually manifesting the divinity lying dormant in him.

When he spoke of sectarianism, bigotry and its horrible descendant fanaticism and how they have drenched the earth with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair, he also spoke of tremendous hope and asserted the famous clarion call to humanity, saying “I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honour of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.”

This significant message of harmony and brotherhood reverberated through minds, across the length and breadth of the globe. While it aroused tremendous interest in spirituality in the enterprising and active minds of the western citizen, it re-awakened spirituality and set the process of resurgence of the Indian mind. And that is an extremely poignant moment in the recent history of India. A nation that had gradually started losing the connection with the rich spiritual heritage of its past in the wake of more than a thousand years of invasion and subjugation.

Swami Vivekananda’s ideas also influenced the leaders of pre-independent India, including Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and is regarded as one of the creators of modern India.

In 1921, Mahatama Gandhi on a visit to Belur Math on the occasion of Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary, said “I have gone through his works very thoroughly, and after having gone through them, the love that I had for my countrymen became a thousand-fold. I ask you young men not to go away empty handed without imbibing something of the spirit of the place Swami Vivekananda lived and died.”

This comment truly exemplified the rich tapestry of patriotism, knowledge and love for the country that Swami Vivekananda brought alive in his messages. Western thinkers have spoken of him as the “moulder of the modern world”. A great humanist who loved humanity in the East as well as in the West.

Through this lecture at the World Parliament of Religions at Chicago in 1893 and subsequent lecturing and teaching work for four and a half years in the USA and England, he raised the image of India to a high pedestal as the land of spirituality, harmony and rich cultural heritage. What is now known as modern Hinduism is largely Swami Vivekananda’s creation.

Today, when humanity is at crossroads and values cherished over the centuries are getting eroded in the name of fanatic religious beliefs and dogmas, Swami Vivekananda’s message of universality, harmony, character building, strength and courage is even more relevant.

Talking about the historic address, Swami Satyadevananda, Head, Ramakrishna Math & Mission, Mumbai, said, “While we celebrate the 125th year of this momentous address delivered to transform the hearts and minds of humanity, this is also an opportunity to re-dedicate ourselves to imbibe, assimilate and realize the lofty and immensely relevant message of harmony and brotherhood of Swamiji. Let us individually and collectively strive to make the message of practical Vedanta, the message of caring and living for others a reality in every house, in every village, every district, in every relationship and association. Let Swamiji’s message be the glue that binds the new world order”

To commemorate this hallmark occasion, Ramakrishna Mission Mumbai will organise a day-long programme on September 29. At the event, senior monks from Ramakrishna Mission and different faiths of Christianity, Islam, Jainism, Zoroastrianism & Buddhism will present their interpretations on Swami Vivekananda’s speech and its relevance to society today. The cultural programme also includes an Indian classical dance exposition ‘Journey to divinity’ as a tribute to Swami Vivekananda. The function will be inaugurated by Governor of Maharashtra C H Vidyasagar Rao and graced by revered Swami Suviranandaji Maharaj, General Secretary, Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math.

Tags Vedanta Swami Vivekananda The World Parliament of Religions in 1893

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCV) films has created quite a buzz recently by becoming the highest-grossing film franchise of all time. According to media reports, the films produced by Marvel Studios have raked in over $17.5 billion at the global box office.

Now, the California based Marvel Studios, which is one of the biggest production houses in the world has a South Indian connection. Chennai based creative design company Cover It Up has been signed on as the official merchandiser for Marvel studios. Cover it Up was in the news during the release of the Rajinikanth starrer Kaala, as they were the official merchandiser for the film.



Speaking about Cover It Up’s new association with Marvel Studios, Ronak Sarda, Founder, Cover It Up said, “After developing a base of 400,000 fans on social media by selling pop-culture merchandise, a lot of our customers started asking us to design something on super-heroes. We realised that Marvel is the association we should be looking forward to, considering the growing fan following they have, we went straight to their Indian head-office. We told them that we had some ideas we wanted to implement with their existing designs and they liked the idea and gave us the nod.”

In the coming months, the team at Cover It Up have collaborated to launch some exciting tech-concept clothing, 3D phone cases (patent pending), wall arts, t-shirts, mugs and products which are easily affordable with pricing not more than Rs. 500.



“We want to make sure that everyone gets a different experience altogether and, in this way, we reach out to a larger portion of the audience. Our water repellent clothing line is one such example and so are the 3D cases,” added Ronak.

The team at Cover it Up were in talks with Marvel Studios India team for quite some time to launch official merchandise. The deal was confirmed in August last week and Cover It up has already launched their first season of products which have received positive response.



“We have launched our concept glow in dark tees along with 3D cases and four other categories. Because of our pricing, which starts from 299, there is something for every Marvel geek,” said Ronak.

Cover It Up has managed to gain good traction in South India because of their association in the past with Rajinikanth movies, Kabali and Kaala.

“We would like to focus on our audience which is already a part of our big family. A video production team is also working towards showcasing the products online in the best way possible,” said Ronak, talking on the marketing strategies followed by them.



“Although Cover it up fan following is from various cities, I think it is about time we start taking our presence offline as well. We have been in talks with many people who want to help us open experience stores in the metros of the country. This way, the growing social media presence along with experience stores will not only add more value but also give a sense of quality which we've been striving towards,” said Sarda, talking on the road map ahead.

The team at Cover It up is investing a lot of time into R&D to create more products with a unique aspect.

“We are already trying to add tech to clothing and are also in talks with one of the biggest production houses to launch the apparel soon. We want to focus on such things where people are amazed, not only at the pricing, but in the equal amount of thought we've put into trying to create something different,” concluded Sarda.

Tags Kabali Marvel Marvel comics Rajinikanth Marvel avengers Marvel studios Kaala Cover it up Ronak Sarda Marvel india

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Mumbai-based Post Office, a venture by Supari Studios, in association with Warner Bros. Records, recently released the official lyric video for the song, ‘Goodbye’ by Jason Derulo. The track enlists a number of artists, with Jason Derulo being accompanied by David Guetta, Nicki Minaj and Willy William. The video has already been viewed over 2 million times, and has generated a buzz with a global audience.

In the past, Post Office has worked on creating lyric videos for Dua Lipa’s New Rules (which has garnered more than 3 million views till date), Adam Lambert's Two Fux and Nike's Da Da Ding.



According to Post Office, the brief received for the video was to have a tropical carnival theme mixed with a chill island vibe, and so they created multiple layouts that would bring out the desired look and feel of love and fun and relaxation. It was ensured that the words of the song were readable at all points through the use of strong, bright fonts centered on the screen, which also lent an upbeat energy to the video.

Subtle animations in the many elements in the backgrounds, as well as beat-matched visual effects were used to add to the dynamic appeal of the video, mentioned a statement issued by the studio.

Aditya Tawde, Director, Head of Post Office, says “The idea behind this lyric video was to show the Trinidadian carnival culture mixed with the Tropical Ibiza vibe to create a celebratory environment for the viewer. The moment we got this brief and heard the song, we immediately thought of the vibrant celebration and festive mood.”

“Visually, the goal was to make this film look colourful and capture the grand moments of the Trinidadian festivals amalgamated with Ibiza party life. The biggest challenge was to make the lyrics more legible with overpowering background visuals, which eventually we had to dim down. What really makes this video amazing is to see the visuals coming alive which go along with the melody of the song.”

Mohit Bhasin, Executive Producer, Post Office, adds “It's always interesting to work with Warner Bros. Records. As a brand, they have a very clear idea of what will work for their audiences. Once we locked on the visual style, it was sheer madness trying to put the whole film together for the release of the track. The end product looks good, WBR was quite pleased with the film too, and that pretty much is the definition of a 'project well done' for us!”

Tags Jason Derulo Post Office Goodbye Warner Bros. Records Production studio

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Launched in 2006 by Roopak Saluja, production company BANG BANG  has produced popular spots for brands such as IKEA, Google, Pepsi, L’Oréal, Sony, Unilever, Indigo, Netflix and dozens of others with Ogilvy, JWT, Lowe Lintas, Dentsu Taproot, Wieden + Kennedy and BBH.

BANG BANG launched its new avatar earlier this year, working with Dentsu India to deliver IKEA’s iconic India launch campaign, being rolled out across media over the coming months.

To announce its #Production2020 mission and evolution, BANG BANG released this high-octane video last week across social media channels.



Speaking on the evolution, Roopak Saluja, Founder & Managing Director, BANG BANG (and Group CEO of The 120 Media Collective) said, “It’s hard to overstate the extent of flux our industry has seen in recent years. But wait, there’s more coming. The world needs a recalibrated production model to cater to the needs of 2020. We at BANG BANG have been ramping up to this reality for years and are delivering it here and now in 2018, with commercials at the core but augmented capabilities, backed by a vast body of work, across content, photography, digital, interactive, gaming and more. The one constant is storytelling but there are now a thousand ways to get there.”

Tags Bang bang Ikea Roopak saluja production house

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Renowned crime write Hussain Zaidi, known for his gritty and no-holds-barred representation of the criminal underbelly in books such as Black Friday, Dongri to Dubai: Six decades of the Mumbai Mafia and Headley and I, has teamed up with GoQuest Productions to launch a joint venture called 'Golden Pen Productions’. The venture will solely focus on the crime & thriller genre, bringing true dark stories from the streets to the screen. What’s more, Zaidi will also be mentoring talent.

A ‘writers first’ venture, Golden Pen will focus on creating high-value content in collaboration with writers, both established as well as upcoming. The content will focus fully on the crime thriller genre and will be completely media/platform agnostic. It will be available across platforms such as TV, web, films and podcasts.

Commenting on the need for such a venture, Zaidi said, “My years of experience engaging with the criminal world has left me with a wealth of untold stories, even after so many of them found their ultimate expression in books or silver screen scripts. And I believe it to be the case with many writers emerging from the hinterlands, who have seen and experienced so much during their normal growing up years that they have developed a bank of absolutely dark yet vehemently true stories which deserve to be tapped into.”

“Golden Pen, being one of the few ‘writers-first’ entertainment labels in India, aims to bring such stories in front of audiences by developing content that pushes the boundaries on every page or in every frame, while being deeply rooted in reality,” he added.

Vivek Lath, MD, GoQuest Media Ventures, said, “The emergence of new media has resulted in audiences looking for edgy and thrilling content, and the success of series such as ‘Narcos’ or ‘Sacred Games’ has shown the potential of such content.”

“Through Golden Pen, our core focus will be to develop a diverse body of content in the crime-thriller genre. These projects will be developed with their roots in India but with a strong eye for distribution in international markets as well. In this initiative, we aim to tap into the abundant material developed by Hussain Zaidi and a dynamic group of writers mentored by him, who have a unique perspective and thrilling anecdotes accumulated over years of interacting with people on both sides of the law,” Lath added.

Jaspinder Kang, Partner, GoQuest Productions, said, “Viewership today has gone beyond just TV and films. New media is allowing creative talent to push the boundaries. Also, viewers today are spoilt for choices. So creators of content have to factor in the fact that they are now competing with international content when it comes to audiences’ share of mind. At Golden Pen Productions, while the content will be local, we will ensure that the appeal will be universal.”

“This is the right time to invest resources in developing high-quality content in the genre, and we aim to be known as the ‘go-to’ company doing all the ground-breaking work in the domain. While we have started our operations in Mumbai and are currently looking at developing content for the Indian market (TV & web), we will eventually be looking at supplying versions of our original content to overseas producers and channels too. At Golden Pen, we truly believe that crime is one genre that has the potential to attract audiences across boundaries, in a sustained manner,” Kang added.

Tags hussain zaidi crime shows GoQuest Golden Pen

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Anushka Sharma and Varun Dhawan’s next movie ‘Sui Dhaga’ is all set to hit the theatres on September 28, 2018. The trailer of the movie was launched last week, and the three-minute video has already garnered more than 23 million views. However, it seems what has caught the attention of twitterati, is a specific shot of Sharma where she is apparently seen crying in happiness. Wearing a saree, Sharma is seen waving to someone. although the context of her expression is not known yet, the scene has already inspired a series of hilarious memes online.

Witty memes have taken over various social media platforms. To make them funnier, users have given them all kinds of comic captions, depicting different situations. One of the twitter users has recreated the iconic Monalisa painting by replacing her face with Sharma’s. The user has even tagged Sharma and her husband cricketer Virat Kohli in the post. Instagram too has some very funny pages on the scene.

Usually, such memes on the Internet generally do not last for more than 3-4 days as the fast-paced digital world soon moves on. But Anushka’s memes have been doing the rounds on internet for more than a week now, and we are sure people associated with the film are only happy about it. The memes have already made the film the talk of the town, probably explaining why the ‘Sui Dhaga’ team has not come up with its marketing strategy for the film yet and has put the promotions on hold. After all the memes are already doing it for them!

Well, this is not the first time a movie trailer has led to a meme frenzy. Earlier, the trailer of Salman Khan-starrer Race 3 had also inspired a series of hilarious memes.

Here are some of the funny memes based on Anushka's expression in ‘Sui Dhaga’:

Tags Anushka sharma Trailer launch Varun dhawan Sui Dhaga memes

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Hyderabad-based digital media entertainment firm Silly Monks, has acquired a 51 per cent stake in Chintala Sports Private Limited.

Chintala Sports is the curator of the Telangana Premier Kabaddi League (TPKL), a regional avatar of the hugely successful Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), entering its second season this September.

TPKL entered the sports league arena in 2017, with its first season held at Warangal and Karimnagar between January 21 and February 7, 2017.

It brought to the fore the game of Kabaddi from the hinterlands of Telangana and ensured that local players were given the right exposure to talent hunters for the national leagues. In its second season this year, TPKL plans to adopt the franchise model that is currently followed by Pro Kabaddi League and other major sports leagues in the country.

TPKL’s matches are scheduled to begin from September 14 to September 30, 2018, and will be held in Hyderabad.

Speaking on the development, Mr Sanjay Reddy, Silly Monks Managing Director, who now takes over as the League Commissioner, said, “My years at ESPN, Star Sports and Sony Max handling major sports events such as World Cup Cricket, Wimbledon and English Premiere League piqued my interest in sports entertainment. Nurturing a similar property in my home state was but a matter of time and when opportunity struck, Silly Monks was more than interested in being at the core of TPKL,”.

Tags Silly monks Chintala Sports Telangana Premier Kabaddi League (TPKL) Pro Kabaddi League (PKL)

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The state of Kerala faced the worst flood in almost 100 years which has claimed around 370 lives. The record downpour which led to wide destruction has displaced more than 300,000 people around the state. According to Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, the rescue mission by the state has almost come to an end with 8,46,680 people abided in 3,734 relief camps. The gone days also witnessed Kerala receiving helping hands from people across the globe, the days also witnessed how people beyond their political, religious, personal differences came together for the rescue operations.

The Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Airforce, Kerala Police, Kerala Rescue and Fire Services, and other state and private rescue missionaries became the heroes of the rescue operations carried in the state. Another set of unsung heroes who have been battling floods in Kerala since 1924 were the local fishermen from different parts of the state. During the rescue operations they rescued about tens of thousands of lives from the high-risk disaster zone.

In Kerala, the focus has now changed to relief from rescue with state government setting out wide plans to reinstate the lives back to normalcy. The state of Kerala received helping hands and relief funds from the neighbouring states and central government. Celebrities, politicians, and other officials and common public also came forward to offer help to the flood destructed state. The United Arabs Emirates formed a national emergency committee to provide help to the flood victims.

Brands and the media world in India too stood for the flood victims and contributed towards the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF). Here’s a look at some of the contributions and aids provided to the state by media and brands.

Airtel

The unprecedented rains and floods in Kerala have disrupted normal life. Airtel has announced the following measures to ensure that customers stay connected with their loved ones.

1. Auto approval of ‘Talk Time’ credit up to Rs 30 for all Airtel prepaid mobile customers.
2. Free 1 GB mobile data for all Airtel prepaid smart phone users (data valid for seven days).
3. Extension of bill payment dates for all Airtel postpaid and home broadband customers to ensure they have uninterrupted access to services.
4. Airtel to deploy VSAT at five major relief centres in Kerala to provide free wi-fi and calling facility to people.

Airtel’s network teams and partners to continue making efforts to ensure the network is up and running despite the challenge of lack of power supply and disruption in movement of fuel supplies.

Citizens at large can charge (power) their mobile phones and make free calls to their loved ones from select Airtel flagship stores located in Thrissur, Calicut, Malappuram, Kannur, Kottayam, Trivandrum and Ernakulam.

Amazon

“Torrential rain has hit Kerala resulting in landslides and floods. Our thoughts are with those affected by the recent floods in India. We are currently working to support the relief efforts with Habitat for Humanity India, World Vision India, and Goonj,” said Amazon India spokesperson.

In addition, the Amazon Operations team is working to provide relief kits to the impacted areas and are providing drinking water to their impacted service partners, associates and immediate communities. People can donate essential products to the non-profits by visiting https://www.amazon.in/l/8891257031 .
“Amazon employees have been enthusiastic supporters of our community initiatives. Our Last Mile team in the affected districts have extended their support by contributing time to help the NGO partners. Various teams have also arranged collection boxes and organised donation drives to support local communities,” said Amazon India spokesperson.
Amazon employees have donated lakhs of rupees over the last two days through the Amazon Cares employee volunteering portal. 

Tags Airtel Amazon india Asianet news network Icici India today Mk anand Pinarayi vijayan Star india network Times network Uday shankar Lulu group Malabar Group Kerala floods 2018 Kerala flood relief uae exchange V Nandakumar Promoth Manghat

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Torrential monsoon rains in Kerala have killed several people and left thousands homeless. Landslides have wiped off villages and the state is reeling under unprecedented showers and floods. The government is offering all possible assistance to those affected by the disaster, along with joint relief operations which are run by the armed forces. However, given the widespread devastation, Kerala’s formidable media group Mathrubhumi has launched a flood relief initiative, Keralathinoru Kaithangu.

This multi-phase relief mission sought readers’ support to help Kerala during this most difficult time.

Mathrubhumi has come forward to help ease the suffering of the people in Kuttanad, lending similar support as they did during the Chennai floods, Okhi disaster and Gujarat earthquake.

While money is the most essential thing that is needed for the relief work, other items such as medicines, canned food items, rice, sugar, biscuits, pulses and grains, matchboxes, candles, bed sheets, towels, sanitary products, soaps, disinfectants and bleaching powder are also needed. Individual organisations and students can contribute their bit to the relief efforts. The public can donate money at the nearest MB office or deposit in the account number given below:

Current Account No: 37831488523 (SBI, Kannur Road, Kozhikode)
IFSC Code: SBIN0070188

Mathrubhumi will hand over the donations to the Chief Minister’s relief fund, call 7561099000 for more details.

The campaign is supported and promoted by all Mathrubhumi divisions which include print (MB Newspaper, television News Channel (mathrubhuminews.in), radio, (Club FM 94.3) and online (mathrubhumi.com)

Tags Mathrubhumi group Kerala floods 2018 Kerala flood relief Mathrubhumi Keralathinoru Kaithangu Kerala flood relief initiative

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