Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM reviews relief operations in Tsunami affected areas

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, today chaired a meeting of the Group of Ministers constituted to monitor the on-going relief operations in the Tsunami affected areas on the mainland and the Andaman & Nicobar islands. Cabinet Secretary, Shri B.K. Chaturvedi, briefed the Prime Minister on the relief operations undertaken by the Integrated Relief Command and focused on the immediate and intermediate relief measures.

GoM took note of the offer of assistance made by the ADB, IMF and the World Bank in the huge task of reconstruction and rehabilitation.

The Prime Minister expressed concern over the plight of the children orphaned and asked that special attention be given to their rehabilitation and well-being. Regarding rehabilitation of fishermen, it was decided that immediate measures should be taken to provide boats and nets to them. For housing the homeless, the Ministry of Urban Development has been asked to immediately provide the design for building houses in the Tsunami affected areas. State Governments are being asked to identify safe areas of land so that construction of houses can be commenced at the earliest with assistance from the Government and the corporate sector.

Home Minister, Shri Shivraj Patil; Communications Minister, Shri Dayanidhi Maran; Finance Minister, Shri P. Chidambaram; and Power Minister Shri P.M. Sayeed were present at the meeting along with the Secretaries to the Government of India who are members of the Crisis Management Group.