: Assistance worth Rs. 4.55 crore was distributed at Karuthal, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s mass contact programme held on Thursday at the district collectorate. A total of 17,662 complaints came up for consideration at the programme. Besides, new complaints were also registered at the venue, which had clocked 6,172.
By afternoon Rs. 1.22 crore was distributed, including the assistance sanctioned by the minister-level scrutiny committee. Money was transferred to bank accounts linked to Aadhaar cards.
Mr. Chandy personally heard 100 selected complainants for whom separate seats were arranged. Mr. Chandy gave away the first assistance of Rs. 1 lakh to 31-year-old Divya afflicted with cerebral palsy.
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People reached the venue much before 9 a.m. Officials, police, volunteers and student police cadets joined hands to bring about orderliness to the gathering with Red Cross volunteers turning up early enough to lend a helping hand to get the sick applicants, including those confined to wheelchairs.
Food and water was provided to the complainants. A medical team led by the district medical officer K.V. Beena made arrangements complete with an ambulance right next to the main stage to meet any medical emergencies.
Information and Public Relations department (I&PRD) deployed a large number of reporters and photographers to cover the event real time.
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Chief Minister’s press secretary presided over the proceedings from the media room of the PRD at the collectorate.
Even as Mr. Chandy was busy listening to petitions, a delegation of 21-member IPS trainees from the National Police Academy dropped in at the venue to get a first hand experience of the programme. Members of the Student Police Cadets were an active presence at the venue. Eighty eight cadets from 14 schools in the district were at hand to extent a helping hand to the applicants.