“The Rs 10 lakh assistance is in addition to the routine compensation given by the fisheries department. Those who sustained injuries in the cyclone-related incidents would be given Rs 15,000 financial assistance. This is also in addition to the Rs 5,000 routine compensation being given by the fisheries department during such eventualities,” chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters here on Saturday. He said around 400 people had been rescued from the sea so far. The chief minister said the rescue and relief activities following the cyclonic storm, which wreaked havoc in the southern parts of the state was progressing in full swing. “Coast Guard, Air Force and Navy are all fully operational in the rescue activities and other central government departments have also responded positively to the situation,” he said. “We would soon introduce a mechanism, to deliver important weather and climate-related information to fishermen without fail,” he added. Adequate compensation would be provided to those who lost their boats in the cyclone, the chief minister said. Several of the fishermen who were caught in the cyclone deep in the seas had refused to leave their boats when the rescue teams reached them. They were reluctant to leave their boats as the meager compensation they would be given would not compensate the loss they would suffer if they abandon the boats.
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