Pinarayi moots livelihood package, to meet PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has asked officials to explore the possibility of a livelihood development package for rebuilding people’s source of living, post floods. He gave this suggestion to all the department heads at a review meeting of flood rehabilitation works, convened by him here on Monday.
Already the government has asked the state planning board to draft a proposal for rebuilding the livelihood of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes section who have been affected by landslide and flood.A conference for rebuilding the livelihood of the flood-affected people is being planned in October, the chief minister told the meeting.
Chief secretary Tom Jose said that a complete proposal for rebuilding the state is being prepared and it will be handed over to prime minister Narendra Modi. The chief minister will be meeting the Prime Minister on Tuesday evening to demand a comprehensive special package for rebuilding the state.
The chief minister urged all department heads to take effective steps for the speedy completion of rebuilding activities. Kuttanadu, Wayanad and Idukki should be considered separately in the rebuilding process. All the construction materials should be sourced directly from the manufacturing companies. All new technologies, include pre-fabric materials, should be used, he said.
Meanwhile, the central team which visited the flood-affected areas held a meeting with the chief minister. B R Sharma, special secretary to Union home ministry who is heading the team, told the chief minister that his team would submit a report to the Centre within a week.
The team, in four groups, visited all the 12 flood-hit districts. Sharma praised the state machinery for the rescue and relief operations. He said the team did not get any complaints on relief or rehabilitation works.