Bhubaneswar: To help Odisha rebuild the affected districts ravaged by cyclone Fani, which made landfall near Puri on May 3, New York-based eminent writer Gita Mehta has donated Rs 10 lakh to Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF).
Notably, she is the sister of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Gita was recently in news for having declined Padma Shri in the field of literature and education.
“I am deeply honoured that the Government of India should think me worthy of a Padma Shri but with great regret I feel I must decline as there is a general election looming and the timing of the award might be misconstrued, causing embarrassment both to the Government and myself, which I would much regret,” she said in her statement from New York.
