We are all aware of the flood situation in Bihar – the Kosi has breached its banks and flooded 775 villages and left 2.2 million people without homes, food, land, and a future. Rescue operations are under severe stress because of the large numbers affected, and relief and rehabilitation are going to be more so. The Prime Minister has declared this a national disaster and allotted a sum of Rs. 1,000 crore for relief activities. Care Today was formed in 1999, in the aftermath of the Kargil War, to act as a link between readers, viewers and listeners of the India Today Group and problems that the nation is facing, that they would wish to do something about. We have since responded to earthquakes (in Gujarat and Kashmir), droughts (in Rajasthan and Gujarat), cyclones (in Orissa) and a tsunami – working with the worst-affected areas and communities in each case to ensure their survival and long-term welfare. We have done this using the highest standards of openness and transparency, using the India Today Group’s vehicles of Aaj Tak, India Today and Mail Today to report back to contributors on the usage of funds. We need your support once again – this time for the flood-affected people of Bihar. We would like to support immediate relief work in the flood affected districts, and go on to support rehabilitation activities in the medium-term future. Care Today makes its usual commitments – we will ensure that our work benefits the worst-affected communities, we will ensure that our work addresses real needs, and we will report back to you on the work that we have undertaken. The India Today Group will make the first contribution of Rs. 10 lakh to Care Today for this purpose.