Jayalalitha seeks Indian PM's intervention

BY UPALI Rupasinghe in New Delhi

TAMIL NADU Chief Minister Kumari Jayaram Jayalalitha in a letter to Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has sought his immediate intervention to restore the rice subsidy scheme to over 50,000 Sri Lankan refugees residing in the state.

"The sudden withdrawal of subsidy on rice given to refugees, when they are still here, is inexplicable," she has stated in her letter.

The centre had extended a rice subsidy for their sustenance mainly because of the sudden influx of refugees has always been considered an "international issue," Jayalalitha has stated.

There are 50,674 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in 108 camps in Tamil Nadu. These are refugees who escaped from ethnic strife between 1983 and 1996.

From Jayalalitha's letter, it was apparent that the Union Home Ministry has withdrawn the rice subsidy, citing difficult procedures and administrative inconvenience in maintaining it.

"The reasons mentioned in the Government of India's letter do not stand scrutiny. The procedures can always be simplified.