MK Stalin announces Rs. 1,000 cr relief package for cyclone-hit areas in Tamil Nadu

The relief included assistance for the reconstruction of and repairs to houses, loans to help businesses, and compensation for crop damage in the four southern districts which were hit by unprecedented rains.

The scheme will be funded by the government, at an estimated cost of Rs. 385 crore, to construct 4,577 new houses and repair 9,975 ones.

Detailed guidelines for the scheme would be issued soon, an official release here said.

It said 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.

Stalin ordered that assistance of Rs. 4 lakh each be provided for rebuilding the destroyed houses and Rs. 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, which were damaged by flash floods triggered by the Cyclone in the first week of this month.

Due to the floods in eight districts, including Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli, crops in over 2,64,000 hectares were damaged and a total compensation of Rs. 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 Rs 10,000, with a 4% interest, and loans, of up to Rs. 1 lakh at a 6% interest, would be provided. The guidelines for this scheme also will be issued soon.

The Tamil Nadu 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 Rs 100 crore will be provided. Industries will be granted up to Rs 3 lakh with a special annual interest rate of 6% and they can repay the amount in three months in 18 installments. 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 of women's self-help groups (SHGs) members. 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 Rs 350 crore to eligible women's self-help groups in the current year.

Apart from this, the assistance of Rs. 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 chickens had died. A compensation of up to Rs 37,500 per cow and buffalo, Rs 4,000 per goat, and Rs 100 per chicken would be provided.

Also, a loan of up to Rs 1.5 lakh would be granted for the purchase of livestock, while an additional assistance of Rs 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 by applying to the heads of their schools and colleges.