After meeting violence-displaced people in two of the relief camps in Kokrajhar in Assam on Saturday, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh announced that the Centre would work closely with the State government to provide adequate security to help the people go back home and lead a normal life in a peaceful atmosphere.
He also announced that a proper inquiry would be conducted into the causes of the violence that had affected hundreds of thousands of people and punishment would be handed out if anyone found instigating it.
He announced a Rs 100 crore immediate assistance to the Assam government for facilitating relief and rehabilitation of the violence-affected people in the Bodoland Teritorial Council districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang and Baksa and Dhubri district outside the BTC.
Another Rs 100 crore Special Plan assistance would be provided for development of the affected people and areas. He also said that Rs 100 crore would be provided under the Indira Aawas Yojana scheme to facilitate rehabilitation of violence displaced people.
The PM further announced Rs two lakh ex-gratia compensation against each of the death due to the violence, Rs 50,000 to each of seriously injured in the violence. Those whose houses have been completely damaged will get Rs 30,000 per family while Rs 20,000 will be given per family to those whose houses were partially damaged.
He said the assistance would be provided from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund. He said at this juncture, everybody should join hands to provide relief and rehabilitate hundreds of thousands of those who have been hit displaced by the violence.
"The government will do everything possible to bring relief and rehabilitate all the violence affected people," Dr Singh said.
He added, "The Centre would work closely to bring back normalcy to the life of the violence-affected people. All of us in the country should unite to accomplish this."
After landing at Kokrajhar at around 1-15 pm in an Indian Air Force chopper, the prime minister went straight to interact with the people in two relief camps at Kokrajhar Commerce College and Bhutgaon. He also interacted with various political and non-political organisations at the Kokrajhar circuit house over the situation.
His arrival in Kokrajhar was delayed by about two hours as his first attempt to go to Kokrajhar in a chopper from Guwahati airport at around 10-40 am. was disrupted due to a development 'technical snag' in the chopper. The PM was accompanied by Assam Governor J B Patnaik and Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi during his visit.
The violence that broke out on last Saturday has so left 45 dead and 58 injured, and displaced about four lakh people in the districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Dhubri in Assam.
Pic: Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh at a relief camp in Assam
