Cong asks govt to revive relief package to U'khand victims

State Congress today asked the Raje-led BJP government to revive the relief package including the jobs offered on compassionate ground to next of the kin of the 511 victims from the state in last year's floods in Uttarakhand.

Last year, the former Congress government had announced a relief package including jobs to the kin of the 511 victims on compassionate ground, but late last month the Raje government stopped the job provision, Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee Spokesperson, Archna here said.

The BJP government should "tender an apology" to the victims' families and revive the relief package specially of jobs because in democracy there should not be any adverse decision on political and revengeful way by an elected government, she said.

BJP government's Disaster and Calamity Relief Department had issued an order on August 28 stopping provision of compassionate jobs, she said in a statement.

When contacted, Principal Secretary of Disaster and Calamity Management K L Meena, told PTI that the government issued the order stopping the providing of "anukampa naukri" (jobs on compassionate ground) as it did not exist in other states.

The district collectors were directed on this new order and asked to comply with it, Meena said.

Former Gehlot government had announced the relief package on July 29 last year after the Uttarakhand tragedy in which 511 people were missing from parts of Rajasthan, he said.