The Hindu : New Delhi News : Centre to release Rs.50 crore to State

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Thursday, Aug 02, 2007
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Centre to release Rs.50 crore to State

Special Correspondent

Decision on advance from Calamity Relief Fund conveyed to Congress leaders

Manmohan Singh’s gesture to the State.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday decided to release Rs.50 crore as advance to Kerala from the Calamity Relief Fund to help the State Government address the immediate problems of its monsoon-affected populace. The decision was taken soon after Kerala Cabinet announced its decision to stage a dharna in the Capital on August 20 to protest against the Centre’s “step-motherly” treatment towards the State.

While no formal announcement was made by the Centre about the release of Rs.50 crore, the decision was communicated to Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy and Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala by the Prime Minister himself when they met him late this evening to press for Central assistance to the State. Earlier, Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi met the Prime Minister separately with the same demand.

Briefing mediapersons later, Mr. Chandy accused the Kerala Chief Minister and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) of indulging in petty politics as statistics are testimony to the fact that practically every demand of the State had been met by the Centre after the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance had come to power.

Even on the lone demand of Kerala which had not been met – the creation of Salem Railway Division by hiving off large portions of Palakkad Division – the Prime Minister had asked the Railway Minister to intervene and sort out the differences between the State and Tamil Nadu, he said.

“Is it the Centre’s fault that the State Government has not submitted an application for assistance from the National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF) under the prescribed format. No doubt, the Chief Minister has submitted a memorandum listing the State’s demands but the due process has not been followed. Now the LDF Government is trying to cover up its administrative failure by blaming the Centre and indulging in populist announcements like a dharna outside the Prime Minister’s residence,” Mr. Chandy said.

According to Mr. Chandy, the State had not given the mandated ex gratia payment to the families of those killed in the floods. While the revised guidelines for ex gratia payment to the victims of natural calamities mandate that the families of the dead should be given Rs. 1 lakh per person, the State Government had given out only Rs.50,000 to adults and Rs.15,000 to children despite Central funds being already at its disposal for the purpose.

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