ACCI welcomes GoI for Andaman's revival package
Port Blair, Aug 28: Andaman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has welcomed the decision of Centre for announcing the revival package for small traders and businessman of these tsunami hit islands covering waiver of loans and interests.
"This was possible due to the concerted efforts of the lone Member of Parliament and A&N Administration, who had perused the matter with concerned Ministry regularly," Mohd H Jadwet, President, Andaman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said.
Earlier, the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi, in an order dated Aug 24, had announced a revival package for small traders in the A&N Islands to the tune of Rs 79.56 crores constituting waiver of all commercial loans upto Rs 2 lakhs and the waiver of interest for a period of 3 (three) years on the principal amounts outstanding as on 26.12.2004.
"According to the order, two-third of the total value of the package will be borne by the Government of India and the remaining one-third would be borne by the concerned financial institutions.
The package has been the result of personal intervention of the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister," an official release of local Member of Parliament Office said.
This package is supposed to benefit over 7,000 traders and business men in the sectors of trade, transport, tourism, fisheries etc and also help them in reviving their individual units and also develop the over all economy of the islands.
"With this decision individual traders and businessmen will be able to recover some of the business losses suffered by them due to tsunami," Jadwet added.
A mega earthquake followed by tsunami had killed more than 3800 people in these islands and destroyed business and property worth Rs 3327 crores, according to official figures.
UNI