Minutes of Meeting with Relief Commissioner C.V.Sankar, I.A.S February 28, 2005.
Attendees: Sathya Priya, Dhanalakshmi, Jeba Durai
Purpose
1. To Discuss on Food Shortage
2. To Know the Government next step of plan regarding Tsunami
General
We showed our site visit reports of Six Districts. He took all the reports for
his reference and is very happy about the reports that we made.
Questions:
1. We asked about the food shortage which was found to be the major need of the affected people throughout our site visits to all districts:
Ans: Still 8000 packages are held with the government. He said that the first relief work on supply of 60Kg rice may have gotten over by that time. So they are asking for food as a need. Then we showed the villages name which have not received any support from the government, he asked us to give the list of the villages that have not got any support from the government as relief work and he was very particular that village should be affected by Tsunami. The government will intervene in these villages where support has not reached after getting the list from Asha Honor team. Sathya and Jeba to take the responsibility to do this.
2. Government Plan for food and scholarships:
Ans: The government has planned to give the third round of food package to all the villages affected by Tsunami from March onwards.
Government is planning to give the free concession on fees for Tsunami affected college students for both private and Government colleges if they get the letter from village panchayat. [Jeba to follow-up with Uma on this]
3. Jeba asked about the boat concession for the fisher man
Ans: Mr. C.V. Shankar replied that we are going to give the oncession for the fisherman and we are planned to give five lakhs for the bigger boats and 20,000 for the smaller Catamarans. Govt has distributed these packages in Nagapattinam.
Jeba asked about Kanya Kumari - the fisherman have not received any concession. Mr. Shankar replied that in Kanya Kumari the work is been started now and the fisheries department is going to disburse the amount.
Jeba asked about if the fisherman have not registered in the fisheries department what will happen? Will they get the compensation? Mr. Shankar replied most people have registered if they doesn't register also they will get because we (the Govt) have prepared the list.
Priorities
We showed the priority list of all the six districts he went through the priority list and he is totally against for giving food packages and scholarship to the 40 students in Nagapattinam because government is going to do anyway. He asked that we shouldn't waste our resources on that.
Other than food packages he asked us to proceed other activities like tailoring machines Gym and Self reliance activities, he also added that focus on Education. Sathya and Jeba asked for any suggestions on our entire work and the priority list. Mr. Shankar said: You should think about the marketing of clothes if you give tailoring machines. What about the marketing for that if there are more tailors who they are going to stitch clothes for? So you should be very careful in this and make necessary arrangements for marketing. Other that that you are doing a good job.
Jeba told about the Tulika books he is very happy about it. He said there is a real need for the kids he said I too know about Tulika.
Suggestion from Mr. C. V. Shankar, IAS
He told that government has 125 cyclone centers all over the places so the government is planning to repair all the centers because to have a tuition centre for the small kids, and he happily said you can help this by giving some animators to take a tuition class for the smaller kids the government is planning to do this. And again and again he told please don't waste you money giving foods…
Visit to 386 Tsunami affected villages
Jeba shared the plan with Mr. C.V.Sankar. He said that you are doing a very big job but you can do this. Jeba also told him that Chandravel and Jeba will be meeting him next week regarding the visit to all the villages and Mr.C.V.Sankar happily agreed.
Important Needs
Sathya pointed out about the food shortage in Naadukuppam in Chennai and Mr. Shankar said yes you are correct there is a shortage. I know we have rectified that now. They should have food to eat. He is happy that we visited all the places.
He is very happy about the report we made in all the Villages he asked us a copy of it. We gave him all the district reports. He said that since you have mentioned all the youth girls and boys names also you have made a really in depth report. I would like to read this report.