Ground Zero ; Even Two Years After the Tsunami, Government Relief Operations Are in a Pathetic State, Says a Cag Report

Summary

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It is the saga of callous and pathetic implementation of relief work and rehabilitation of the tsunami-affected. The tsunami that hit the Indian coastline on the morning of December 26, 2004, swept away 1,089 villages, claimed over 10,273 lives and rendered 2,39,024 families homeless. By all accounts, it was the biggest natural calamity to hit India. You would expect the Central Government and the states to pull their might to provide not just immediate relief but also long-term rehabilitation to those affected. Typically though, as the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) released to Parliament this month reveals, the relief and reconstruction operations are marked by a combination of political indifference and bureaucratic inefficiency. And it's not just one state.

A week after the tsunami, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, apparently moved by the plight of the affected had declared: "We will do everything possible for you. I have come from Delhi to lend my support to you." The sentiments unfortunately have not translated into action. Neither at the Centre nor at the state levels. Recall the war of words between the Centre and the then Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa. She had accused the Centre of denying funds. The truth, however, is bitter. Tamil Nadu had asked for Rs 4,805.82 crore and was sanctioned Rs 2,347.19 crore. Of the Rs 820.31 crore released, only Rs 597.67 crore was spent.

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Ground Zero ; Even Two Years After the Tsunami, Government Relief Operations Are in a Pathetic State, Says a Cag Report

It's not just Tamil Nadu. The four states and Andaman and Nicobar Islands had asked for Rs 11,796 crore for relief works. The Centre sanctioned Rs 3,644.05 crore, of which Rs 1,607.01 crore was ...

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