The anti-endosulfan Campaign Committee, which had been in the forefront to campaign for and to coordinate relief and rehabilitation works for hundreds of the hapless families of endosulfan victims on Monday expressed utter dismay over the “farcical” assurance in the budget proposals to mitigate plight of the less fortunate lot.
The State Finance Minister K. M. Mani’s assurance to earmark Rs. 25 crore as State share to supplement the Central assistance is “absurd and farcical” as every one knows well that the Centre as such had not come out with any proposal to provide financial assistance to the victims, who are silently bearing life of perpetual trauma and agony unnoticed by others, Anti-Endosulfan Campaign Committee Vice-Chairman Narayanan Periya said.
The “farcical assurance” (to earmark as State’s share to supplement the Central assistance) is an insult to the hundreds of victims and their families as the Centre had not come out with any package to provide financial assistance to the victims, he said.
The budget proposal to earmark the fund amounted to rubbing burning stick on their wounds and thereby hurting their doomed sentiments, Mr. Periya said adding that the assurance went against the government’s assurance made recently that it would strive to provide succour to the hapless victims by all means.
