Kerala ropes in KPMG as consultant for rebuilding flood hit state

Kerala Government has decided to appoint KPMG as project consultant partner for rebuilding state ravaged by recent massive floods. This decision was taken at state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Beisdes, Tata Project Ltd was entrusted with task of reconstructing roads, buildings and bridges destroyed in rain fury at Pamba, the foothills of famous Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala.

Key Facts

The services of KPMG rendered for projects related to revamping to Kerala will be free of cost. KPMG is one of the largest professional service companies in the world and one of Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
State Government also has decided to raise funds from foreign countries where Kerala expatriates live in large numbers. It will deploy minister and necessary officials for mobilising funds from countries such as UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Germany, USA and Canada. It was decided to conduct fund-raising drives in key towns in India in cooperation with local association of Keralites.

Background

Severe flooding in month of August 2018 had severely affected Kerala due to unusual high rainfall during the monsoon season. It was the worst flooding in Kerala in nearly century after great flood of 99 that happened in 1924. It had directly affected one-sixth of total population of Kerala. All 14 districts of the state were placed on red alert. Central Government had declared it “calamity of a severe nature” or Level 3 Calamity. Due to excessive rainfall, 35 out of total 54 dams within state were opened for the first time in history. All five overflow gates of the Idukki Dam were opened at the same time, for the first time in 26 years. Heavy rains also had triggered severe landslides in Wayanad and Idukki districts and had left the hilly districts isolated. It is estimated that loss and damage due to  massive flood, , is much more than 2018-19 annual plan outlay of state which stood at Rs 37,247.99 crore.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2018