

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy distributed cheques of `5 lakh each to families of 44 persons who died in the Madinah bus tragedy in Saudi Arabia, and `3 lakh each to families of those seriously injured.
On Saturday, Revanth met the families of the deceased at the Secretariat and said a delegation led by Minority Welfare Minister Mohd Azaruddin was deputed to Madinah soon after the incident, with the victim families also sent there. He added that, with coordination from the Indian Consulate and the Saudi government, the last rites were performed in Jannatul Baqi.
He noted that state governments do not usually provide compensation for deaths abroad, but said the Telangana government had extended support on humanitarian grounds.
Recalling his association with Muslims, the chief minister said he has been sponsoring Haj pilgrimage for five persons every year from Kodangal Assembly constituency since 2009, with selections entrusted to local religious leaders.