Marginalised people left out of flood relief: Report

Thiruvananthapuram: A large number of the marginalised people were left out of the government assistance given to the flood-affected due to last-minute changes in the eligibility criteria.

This has been stated in the report brought out here on Monday by the National Dalit Watch and National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights on the exclusion of dalits and adivasis during the floods. While all the flood- affected were registered together in the relief camps, those who belonged to dominant castes moved out to the homes of their friends and relatives or to camps set up by community-centric organisations, the report said.

Nearly 83.90 percent in the general category and 88.93 percent in the OBC received government-announced immediate assistance.

But only 61.92 percent adivasis and 67.68 percent dalit Christians received it.

Initially, the eligibility criterion was registration in a relief camp, but it was later amended to include households where water had entered up to a specified height.

The government should review the mechanisms that are in place to provide relief to all flood-affected panchayats in Kerala and consider all who have been excluded from the immediate relief of Rs10, 000 and Rs 5,000 from the SC/ST department, the report said. Steps should be taken to account for the affected families of SC, ST and Christian converts from SC and the recommended communities to ensure their inclusion in the government relief measures, the report pointed out.

The government should re-evaluate the process to estimate the loss of household items of such families and announce a minimum of Rs 2 lakh interest-free loans with a repayment period of three years, the report said.