Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today prescribed a Rs 200-crore package for the tsunami-ravaged Andaman and Nicobar Islands, for “immediate rehabilitation measures”. After a daylong trip to the devastated Car Nicobar and Campbell Bay islands, the PM said Rs 200 crore would be released to the Andaman and Nicobar administration. Singh visited relief camps in Port Blair in the evening.‘‘These beautiful islands have undergone an unprecedented wave of death and destruction. I can see sorrow and pain written on the faces of so many citizens. The Government of India will spare no resources to come to the aid of all families which have been affected,’’ he said. The package will include the provision of food for affected families, at a cost of about Rs 60 crore, construction material for temporary houses, the allocation of Rs 10 crore for wage employment programmes and a grant of Rs 10 crore to tribal councils to restore social infrastructure and a telemedicine programme by the Space Department. About 10,000 houses will be built, at a cost of about Rs 25 crore.Singh also said mobile telephone connectivity would be provided in major islands. ‘‘We will build a new pattern of life which would be both environment and economy-friendly. If there are any areas where we need international aid, we will take help,’’ said the PM. At the ITF relief camp, he said Rs 1 lakh would be provided to each of the families where deaths have been reported.
