Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday announced a ₹1,000-crore relief package for the flood-hit districts. It includes assistance for reconstruction of and repairs to houses, loans to help businesses and compensation for crop damage.
According to a release, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to rebuild the houses that were destroyed and repair those that were damaged in the unprecedented rain in Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts. Mr. Stalin has ordered that an assistance of ₹4 lakh each be provided for rebuilding the destroyed houses and ₹2 lakh each for repairing the partially damaged ones. The cash aid will be provided through the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department. The assistance scheme will also be implemented in Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu districts.
The entire scheme would be funded by the government. At a cost of ₹385 crore, 4,577 new houses would be constructed and 9,975 houses would be repaired. The guidelines for the scheme would be issued soon.
Due to the floods in eight districts, including Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli, crops on over 2,64,000 hectares were damaged and a total compensation of ₹250 crore would be provided. Cooperative societies will provide the affected farmers with crop loans and loans for buying equipment on a priority basis.
The Agriculture Engineering Department will remove silt from agricultural land in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts free of cost.
A special loan scheme will be implemented to assist small traders, shop owners and street vendors in Chennai, Thoothukudi, and Tirunelveli districts who were affected by the floods. Under the scheme, loans of up to ₹10,000, with a 4% interest, and loans, of up to ₹1 lakh at a 6% interest, would be provided. The guidelines for the scheme will be issued soon.
The Tamilnadu Industrial Investment Corporation Ltd. will launch a special loan scheme for the flood-affected micro, small and medium enterprises in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Thoothukudi, and Tirunelveli districts. Under it, a loan of ₹100 crore will be provided. Industries will be granted up to ₹3 lakh with a special annual interest rate of 6% and they can repay the amount in three months in 18 instalments. Around 3,300 enterprises are expected to benefit from the scheme.
The floods in Chennai and the southern districts had also impacted the loan repayment by members of women self-help groups (SHGs). Loan and interest repayments would be restructured, and measures for this would be taken immediately. Steps would be taken to provide new loans to the tune of ₹350 crore to eligible women self-help groups in the current year.
An assistance of ₹15 crore would be provided to repair 4,928 fishing boats and machinery in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts. About 17,000 cattle and over one lakh chicken had died. A compensation of up to ₹37,500 per cow and buffalo, ₹4,000 per goat and ₹100 per chicken would be provided. A loan of up to ₹1.5 lakh would be granted for purchase of livestock.
An additional assistance of ₹3,000 would be provided to salt workers registered with the Salt Labour Welfare Board. Arrangements have been made for students in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli to get duplicate copies of their lost certificates through submission of an application to the heads of their schools and colleges.
New textbooks would be provided to the affected students of government, government-aided and pivate schools.
The Collectors would organise special camps on Mondays to get duplicate copies of the lost government documents such as ration cards, voter identity cards, and driving licences.
The Transport Department has co-ordinated with vehicle manufacturers, insurers, and agents to organise special camps in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts. Of the 3,046 vehicles that were brought for repairs, 917 have been repaired. The work on repairing the rest was under way.
