Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Saturday, May 14, 2005 |
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Industry & Economy
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Natural Calamities IFAD lines up $30-m rehab plan for tsunami-affected areas Our Bureau
Chennai , May 13 THE International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is putting together a $30-million rehabilitation programme for those affected by the tsunami last December. Speaking to newspersons, Mr Lennart Bage, President, IFAD, said that it was part of a $100-million programme for the region, including Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Maldives, which were affected in the tsunami that struck these coasts on December 26, 2004. While the disaster had been followed up with spontaneous relief and rehabilitation works and contributions, it is now time for a long-term and sustained support to the affected. The IFAD, through the local Governments concerned, NGOs, and technical institutions, will support such long-term measures, he added. The $30 million to be spent in India targets the victims in Tamil Nadu, one of the worst affected States. The IFAD has carried out preliminary studies along with the State Government, NGOs working with fishing communities, and technical institutions such as the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation. The Tamil Nadu Department for Rural Development is the nodal agency for the programme. The IFAD's programme is expected to benefit over six lakh people by supporting them to rebuild or create new livelihoods for the fisherfolk. Local agencies would be roped in to set up programmes in market linkages, organise self-help groups, and create venture capital fund for small businesses using local resources. The programme hopes to find long-term solutions that will offer fishing communities stable incomes and address overexploitation of resources. The IFAD is also exploring opportunities for providing insurance cover to coastal communities and is in discussions with insurance companies. Prof M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, said that the foundation was organising a two-day consultation — beginning Friday — that will bring together representatives from the tsunami-affected countries in the region to share their experiences on the disaster and rehabilitation works. The consultation on post-disaster management and prevention strategies organised in collaboration with the International Development Research Centre, Canada will seek to identify priority areas in research, measures to deal with natural disaster management, and recovery.
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