A project has been organised jointly by the Health and Social Justice departments to bring back to normal life the families of those fisherfolk who lost their loved ones at sea in Cyclone Ockhi, Health and Social Justice Minister K.K. Shylaja has said.
The plan is to give psychological, social and financial support to these families. The Revenue, Fisheries and Education departments would coordinate with the Health and Social Justice departments in the project.
Training programme
Groups, including trained counsellors, would visit the fishers’ homes, learn the problems faced by each family and provide aid, Ms. Shylaja said, inaugurating a training programme for counsellors at the Poojappura Institute of Cooperative Management here on Thursday.
The counsellors in the Health and Social Justice departments would be accompanied by Junior Health Inspectors, Junior Public Health Nurses, ASHAs, Anganwadi workers and ward or panchayat members to the fishers’ homes. The families would be provided counselling to overcome all psycho-social issues, financial assistance as well as support for managing necessities like food and drinking water.
Based on the information collected by the counsellors, various departments would coordinate to provide the assistance to the fisher families.
Over 80 counsellors and volunteers participated in the programme. Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rajeev Sadanandan and Director of Social Justice Noohu Bawa were among those present at the meeting.
