New Delhi/Chennai, July 6 (Inditop.com) Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Monday announced Rs.500 crore ($100 million) for the rehabilitation and relief of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sri Lanka’s northeast.
Voicing concern over the situation in Sri Lanka, Mukherjee announced in his budget speech that he was allocating the money for the welfare of the around 300,000 Tamils housed in various relief camps following the end of the decades-long insurgency.
New Delhi has been assisting the large numbers of civilians rendered homeless in the wake of Sri Lanka’s military offensive that crushed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May.
Monday’s announcement was welcomed by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, who thanked Mukherjee and said: “The budget with its emphasis on social justice would benefit all sections of the society.”
The chief minister also welcomed the interest reduction to farmers who pay their loans on time and the proposal to increase the farm loans.
Karunanidhi praised the increased allocations under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and other projects.
