BHUBANESWAR: HDFC Bank on Thursday announced to restore and repair 20 Government schools in Odisha that have been affected by cyclone Fani.
The initiative is aimed to help restore normalcy for distressed school students in the cyclone-hit districts of Khurda, Puri and Cuttack district. As part of the initiative, repair and refurbishment of school premises besides restoration of sanitation facilities will be carried out.
The 20 schools will be selected in consultation with the State Government while the bank’s local NGO partners will help in execution of the work. The bank also donated `10 crore to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF).
In order to ease the woes of customers, the bank has also waived off penalties on late payments for credit cards and on EMIs for personal, business, auto, two-wheeler and agri loans besides business banking working capital and consumer durable loans for the month of May.
Cheque bounce charges on payment of these loans have also been waived of in addition to late payment charges on credit cards. “We stand by the people of Odisha in this time of crisis. We hope to make a small difference to people’s lives through our efforts,” said Group Head, CSR, HDFC Bank Ashima Bhat.
Meanwhile, the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has agreed to donate `5 crore for restoration work of Shree Jagannath Temple at Puri which was affected in Fani. As per preliminary assessment, civil infrastructure worth `3.82 crore and electrical equipment worth `1.24 crore have been damaged in the cyclone.
Similarly, Falcon Marine Exports Pvt Ltd has donated `one crore to the CMRF and ICICI Bank `20 lakh to Khurda and `10 lakh to Balasore district for relief efforts.