Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 05: Kerala government today
submitted a fresh memorandum to the centre seeking Rs 1358.62
crore for relief and rehabilitation of people affected by the
tsunami disaster.
The memorandum was handed over to the visiting Secretary
for Disaster Management A K Rastogi during a meeting Chief
Minister Oommen Chandy had with him to discuss relief work for
tsunami victims.
The government had earlier sought Rs 757 crore as relief
during the recent visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to
the tsunami-hit areas of the state. The fresh memorandum was
prepared after assessing the damage to life and property,
Chandy told reporters after the meeting.
The Centre had been asked to consider sanctioning the
amount as a special package, relaxing the normal guidelines
for central funds. The Centre was favourable to the
government's request, he said.
The state would also get a share from the amount the
Centre was to collect from mps' funds. Special assistance
would be provided to women and children affected by the
disaster. Talks were on with banks and insurance companies in
this regard.
Kerala also urged the Centre to declare the state as
multi-disaster prone area and make available funds from the
disaster risk management programme which had UNDP assistance.
Tsunamis had struck most where seawalls were absent and the
maximum funds were sought for constructing them, he said.
Bureau Report
