The State government on Tuesday announced some more welfare measures for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in camps.
It increased financial assistance in the event of unnatural death of a refugee from Rs.15,000 to Rs.25,000. Funeral expenses were increased from Rs.2,500 to Rs.5,000.
The announcements were made at the end of a debate in the Assembly on the demands for grants of demands for the Public Department.
A. Soundararajan, Communist Party of India (Marxist) floor leader, said citizenship should be granted to those children of the refugees born after 1987.
Making other announcements, Finance Minister O. Paneerselvam, who deputised for Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, said that a 10 per cent increase in the basic pay of contract employees of the Tamil Nadu Ex-Servicemen's Corporation would be effected, benefiting about 6,800 employees.
Namakkal and Dharampuri would have district offices of the ex-servicemen's welfare. The monthly grant of Rs. 1,000 for the Second World War veterans would be increased to Rs.2,000, while the monthly assistance of Rs.800 for widows of such veterans would go up to Rs.1,500.
