Tamil Nadu

Schemes for Irula community soon: Minister

— Photo: N. Sridharan

Rural Industries Minister Pongalur N. Palanichamy interacts with Wildlife Conservationist Romulus Whitaker at the crocodile bank on Friday.

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Government will come out with schemes to improve the livelihood of Irulas in the State, Minister for Rural Industries Pongalur N. Palanichamy said here on Friday.

Participating in a function organised by the Directorate of Information and Public Relations at Vadanemeli on East Coast Road here, the Minister said Rs.1 crore worth financial assistance was handed over to the members of the Irula Snake Catchers Industrial Cooperative Society.

More than Rs.60 lakh worth mediclaim insurance policies and loans under the Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana (PMRJ) were given to help them become self-reliant.

The Minister said there were over 1.16 lakh Irulas in Tamil Nadu.

The Government was keen to alleviate the sufferings of the Irula community who had a special place in society since they saved the lives of rural masses vulnerable to snake bites.

The Minister inaugurated an auditorium at the crocodile park, where the Irulas could educate the general public about the dangers of snake bites, specialised equipment to help turn the extracted snake venom into powder and a vehicle to help in transport.

Kancheepuram District Collector Pradeep Yadav outlined the various initiatives undertaken by the district administration for improving the livelihood of the community.

Rajeev Ranjan, Director of Industries and Commerce, said the Government would soon provide a computer to the society and initiate action to build a rest house for the benefit of the community.

Romulus Whitaker, wild life conservationist, said he was happy that the Government was recognising the importance of Irulas.

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