Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government sanctioned Rs 10 crore as financial aid to Turkey, contributing to the county's rebuilding after a massive earthquake battered it, the government announced on Saturday, reported PTI.
Kerala Finance Minister KN Balagopal said that the announced amount is to support the people of Turkey, for which the external affairs minister granted permission.
The state budget presented on February 8 announced the ten crore assistance.
"The earthquake in Turkiye, which had shocked the consciousness of the world, claimed tens of thousands of lives and left lakhs of people destitute," the Finance Minister said.
Saying that the international community joined together to help the quake victims, he recalled the support Kerala received from around the globe when it was devastated by natural calamities some years ago.
The violent earthquakes shook Turkey killing thousands of people and razing down hundreds of buildings. The quakes also affected neighbouring Syria. The epicentre was in Turkey's southeastern province of Kahramanmaras and was felt as far away as Cairo (Egypt).
India had already dispatched humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to Turkey.