Anil Anand

New Delhi: In a move that could impact the ruling United Progress Alliance’s (UPA’s) poll prospects, the Centre announced on Thursday an additional Rs330-crore relief package for victims of Gujarat riots.

The new package has been designed to bring the post-Godhra riots victims on a par with the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. It covers the entire gamut of losses suffered by the victims, from payment of exgratia to the dependents of those killed to compensation for properties damaged in the riots.

The package cleared by the Union cabinet at a meeting here has three aspects: additional ex-gratia for victim families, compensation for damaged residential properties and for uninsured commercial establishments.

An amount of Rs3.5 lakh will be paid as an additional ex-gratia to the next of kin of the 1,169 people killed in the riots. This will be over and above the ex-gratia already paid by the state government.

It will set the Centre back by Rs40.91 crore, finance minister P Chidambaram said.

Significantly, the cabinet also gave the green signal to a proposal to give 10 times more ex-gratia (Rs262.44 crore) than the amount already paid by the state government in lieu of damage caused to residential properties during the riots. Under this head, the Gujarat government has already disbursed Rs29.16 crore in 29,467 cases.

An important part of the relief package is the payment of cash for the damage caused to uninsured commercial and industrial properties. The relief amount in this case will also be 10 times the cash relief already given by the state government.

Chidambram said data was being gathered to identify the uninsured properties.

“It may not be possible to give the quantum of funds needed for the purpose. But the intention is to give some compensation to the uninsured commercial properties which were damaged,” he said.

Responding to questions on the list of riot victims, the finance minister said the figures considered by the Centre were agreed upon.

“The list considered by the Centre is the one on the basis of which the state government has already paid compensation,” he said.

Source : DNA