Healing Touch: Odisha Govt. Provides Rs 8.33 cr. Financial Aid to Fani-hit Tourist Boat Owners

Puri: In a bid to bring the livelihood security of the tourist boat owners in Puri back on track, the  Odisha Government has  disbursed financial assistance of Rs 8.33 crore to as many as 789 persons, who lost their livelihoods after their boats were completely damaged in cyclone ‘Fani’ on May 3.

While an amount, Rs 4,26,40,000 was provided from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) gave Rs 1.92 crore from its CSR funds to the affected boat owners.

The affected boat owners belonging to nine boat associations have received the amount during a programme called ‘Financial assistance to Fani-affected boat owners’ held at Satapada arranged by the Puri District Administration.

While attending the programme as chief guest, Development Commissioner Suresh Chandra Mahapatra said, the boat owners should repair and redevelop their boats with better engines and facilities in order to attract more tourists in the coming days.

“There is no such scheme to provide financial assistance to tourist boats affected in natural disasters like cyclone but the state government has decided to help the boat owners who are equally affected like any other community in the cyclone,” Mahapatra added.

Urging  the boat owners to contribute to enhance the image of Puri as a global tourist destination, Secretary of Tourism Department, Vishal Dev, said “A country like Thailand where 30 per cent revenue comes from tourism industry but in Odisha, it’s only 10 per cent. We should try to provide better services to tourists so that more and more people from different parts of the world will come to visit places like Puri again and again.”

Among others, Puri Collector Balwant Singh was present during the occasion.