Thiruvananthapuram: The state government will provide Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the Malayalis who died in the Kuwait fire. The special Cabinet, which met on Thursday, also provided Rs 1 lakh each to the injured Malayalis. Health Minister Veena George will leave for Kuwait on Thursday to supervise the situation.
She will be accompanied by State Mission Director (NHM) Jeevan Babu. They are reaching Kuwait to coordinate the treatment of injured Malayalis and the repatriation of the bodies of those who died.
Malayali industrialist M A Yusuff Ali has informed the Chief Minister that Rs 5 lakh each will be given to the families of the deceased and NRI businessman Ravi Pillai has informed that Rs 2 lakh each will be given. This assistance will be made available through NORKA. With this, a family will receive a total of Rs 12 lakh in assistance. The Cabinet expressed its condolences on the deaths in the Kuwait fire and according to the information received so far, 24 Malayalis have died, of which 17 have been identified.
Efforts are being made under the leadership of NORKA and the initiative of NRIs to provide all possible assistance to those affected by the accident. The Help Desk and Global Contact Centre are functioning round the clock. The state government will extend full support to the interventions made by the Government of India in Kuwait. Kerala's representative in Delhi, K V Thomas, is in constant touch with the Ministry of External Affairs.