The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : We will continue efforts to help tsunami victims: Chidambaram

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 19, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

We will continue efforts to help tsunami victims: Chidambaram

Special Correspondent

The Minister calls for speeding up construction of houses in Tamil Nadu

SHOWING CONCERN: Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram making enquiries with a beneficiary of the health insurance scheme for the tsunami affected, which he launched in Chennai on Sunday. United India Insurance chairman and managing director M.K.Ga rg (left) and Tamil Nadu Revenue Secretary P. Selvam are also in the picture. — Photo: S. Thanthoni

CHENNAI: Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said on Sunday that the Government would continue to do the needful for the people affected by the December 2004 tsunami and called for speeding up construction of houses for them in Tamil Nadu.

Launching the Centre-sponsored and United India Insurance-managed health insurance scheme, `Tsunami Jan Bima Yojana,' here, he said that of the 22,000 houses constructed in the State for such families, only 3,500 were built by the State Government.

Non-governmental organisations built the rest. The process, however, gained momentum after a new government took over in Tamil Nadu. The State Government's responsibility had increased with some NGOs backing out.

Money unspent

Noting that a chunk of the over Rs.5,000 crore announced by the Centre for the tsunami rehabilitation work in the first year remained unspent, Mr. Chidambaram said it was not uncommon to find obstacles cropping up during implementation of such schemes.

He hoped that with the momentum picking up, the entire amount would be utilised.

Under the insurance scheme that offers medical facilities, 1.55 lakh families spread over Nagapattinam, Kanyakumari, Cuddalore and Villupuram districts will be covered.

It will soon be extended to the tsunami-affected families of Puducherry, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. A total of 4.50 lakh families will be covered. Its premium, of around Rs.36 crore, will be borne by the Centre.

Mr. Chidambaram urged United India Insurance to put in place a mechanism to ascertain whether the benefits of the scheme were being made available by hospitals and reached the families.

Tamil Nadu Revenue Secretary P. Selvam said the land acquisition for building more housing units had been initiated by the State Government.

Cashless treatment

United India Insurance chairman and managing director M.K. Garg explained the scheme under which the individual, spouse and three dependent children would be covered. It would cover hospitalisation expenses up to Rs.30, 000 per family a year and carried sub-limits for various items of hospitalisation. The company made arrangements with the hospitals for cashless treatment.

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