Wayanad landslides: Banks have taken steps to financially help survivors, says Kerala CM
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that steps to rehabilitate survivors of the landslides in Wayanad district were progressing and as part of it, banks have decided to refund EMIs deducted from victims' accounts after July 30 and restructure their existing loans.
Vijayan said on Tuesday that the banks will also present to their boards the suggestion to completely waive the loans taken by those affected by the landslides.
These decisions were taken at a State-Level Bankers' Committee (SLBC) meeting held here on Monday, the CM said at a press conference here.
He said that in the meeting, it was decided to refund the EMIs collected after July 30 from those in the disaster-hit areas to their respective bank accounts.
The decision was taken to provide financial support to those who had to make various repayments even after the calamity.
In the meeting, it was also decided to restructure all existing loans taken for agricultural and non-agricultural purposes as soon as possible, provide unsecured consumption loans of up to Rs 25,000 for immediate relief that can be repaid in 30 months and suspend all the recovery procedures in the disaster-hit areas for the time being, the CM said.
Besides that, it was also decided that financial assistance provided to the affected persons shall not be converted into repayment of their existing financial obligations and review the National Automated Clearing House mandates related to bank accounts of people from disaster-hit areas to avoid financial stress on them, he said.
Additionally, the SLBC also asked banks to take necessary steps to ease the terms of new loans and provide them quickly to those affected by the disaster.
"The support of banks in Kerala is essential to bring back to the mainstream the unfortunate people who have lost their means of living and are struggling for survival," the CM said.
Vjiayan had on Monday expressed the government's strong displeasure over banks deducting monthly installments of loans from the accounts of landslide victims and survivors in Wayanad, and demanded that these loans be written off completely.
The other rehabilitation measures included arranging and providing accommodation to those who lost their homes in the landslides and providing Rs 6 lakh as compensation to the next of kin of those who died in the disaster.
The CM said that there were no survivors from 17 families who lived in the disaster-hit areas.
Meanwhile, 119 people remain to be found and DNA samples of 91 of their relatives have been collected and sent for testing.
Major landslides hit the Mundakkai and Chooralmala regions of Wayanad on July 30, almost decimating both areas and killing over 200 people and injuring many.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
