Former US president Mr Bill Clinton will be bringing a $50 million relief fund when he visits the quake-devastated Indian state of Gujarat next week.
An advance team from the American-Indian Foundation, which was set up in the wake of the Gujarat quake, said today that the money was earmarked for permanent rehabilitation projects in Gujarat.
"So far we have collected $50 million to re-build up to 100 quake-razed villages here," said foundation vice chairman Mr Mukesh Patel during a visit to Bhuj, which was one of the districts worst hit by the January 26th earthquake in which around 30,000 people died.
Mr Clinton, who arrives in India on Tuesday for his first major overseas visit since leaving office, is scheduled to tour Bhuj and surrounding areas on April 5th.
The rehabilitation work to be carried out by the foundation, of which Mr Clinton is chairman, will be done in tandem with selected non-government organisations.
Mr Clinton enjoyed a wildly successful five-day state visit to India in March 2000, which infused a new warmth into bilateral ties.
After Gujarat, Mr Clinton will fly to India's commercial capital Bombay to meet business leaders.
On April 7th, he will hop over to the eastern Indian city of Calcutta to visit an orphanage set up by the late Mother Teresa and then return to New Delhi for a dinner meeting with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
AFP