Rs 330 cr package for Godhra riot victims

In a significant decision, the Centre on Thursday announced an Rs 330 crore relief package for the victims of the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Gujarat.

Coverage: The Gujarat Riots

A meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved a proposal for payment of additional ex-gratia to the victims as also towards damaged residential properties and uninsured commercial property.

The compensation package for Gujarat riot victims will keep them on par with the measures taken in respect of victims of the anti-Sikh riots in 1984.

The next of kin of 1,169 people killed in the riots would be paid Rs 3.5 lakh ex-gratia in addition to the amount paid by the state government, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said after the cabinet meeting in New Delhi.

This would amount to an additional liability of Rs 40.91 crore to the exchequer, he said.

A sum of Rs 1.25 lakh would also be paid to each of the 2,548 people injured after deducting the amount already paid to them by the state government, Chidambaram said, adding this would cost the central exchequer Rs 29.64 crore.

The victims, whose residential properties had been damaged, would get an additional ex-gratia of ten times the amount given by the state government after excluding the amount already paid by the state. The additional liability on this count would come to Rs 262.44 crore, he said.

The Gujarat government had paid Rs 30.10 crore for damage to residential properties.

The Cabinet also gave its approval for grant of additional ex-gratia for damage to uninsured commercial and industrial properties, Chidambaram said.

In these cases, the ex-gratia would be ten times the amount given by the state government, deducting the amount already paid, he said.

"Data on uninsured commercial properties are being collected and it may not be possible to give the quantum of funds required. But the intention is to give some compensation to the uninsured commercial properties which were damaged," the minister said.

Replying to questions on the list of victims, Chidambaram said: "These are the agreed figures. The list is in respect of which compensation has been paid by the state government."