Ministry of Home Affairs  

The Ministry of Home Affairs being the nodal Ministry has been coordinating the relief, response and rehabilitation measures with the affected States/ UTs, the Central Ministries/Departments providing emergency support including the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces and the other States and NGOs. The MHA Control Room has been functioning round the clock and coordinating the relief and response responsibilities. The Ministry is coordinating the mobilization of resources and their dispatches and other logistics.    

The affected State Governments/UT Administrations and Ministry of Railways have been requested that delivery of the relief materials by the Ministry of Railways booked by the recognized political parties may be made to the concerned District Magistrate/Relief Commissioner and then handed over to the political parties which the consigner for distribution in the affected areas if they so desire. The State Government/UT Administrations have been further requested to extend all necessary help and facilitate the distribution of the relief materials by concerned political parties.  

 The affected States/UTs have been sensitized about the apprehension of orphaned children being trafficked. The State Governments/UT Administrations have been requested to keep vigilance about the safety of the children who have been orphaned and women who have been widowed in the Tsunami and prepare list of such orphaned children and widows and monitor their welfare.  

Rs. 250 crore to Tamil Nadu, Rs. 100 crore each to AP and Kerala have been provided from NCCF. Separately Rs. 35 crore to Pondicherry and Rs. 100 crore  (now increased to Rs. 200 crore) to A&N Islands has been given.  

Three Inter-Ministerial Teams each headed by a Joint Secretary of MHA and under the overall supervision of the Secretary (BM), Ministry of Home Affairs inter alia  including members of Ministries/Departments of Animal Husbandy (Fisheries), Agriculture, Rural Development, Tele-communication, Power, Shipping, Drinking Water Supply, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways visited the   States of  Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala and Pondicherry from 4-6^th January ,2005 to have an on the spot assessment of the situation and requirements of Central assistance for relief and rehabilitation. These States/UTs have projected the damage/ reconstruction cost at Rs 7000 crore (US Dollar 1.56 billion). The detailed damage assessment for A&N Islands is being made where the Nicobar Group of Islands will require more or less re-building.  

2107 personnel of Central Para Military Forces drawn from CRPF, CISF, ITBP, BSF and RAF (these comprise of specialists teams from CISF and ITBP who are also Medical First Responders) were deployed for search and rescue operation, road clearance, disposal of dead bodies, sanitation activities like spraying bleaching powder, DDT, Phenyl in relief camps, distribution of relief materials, unloading and guarding of relief materials etc. The deployment is now 1663 (CRPF-605, CISF-147, ITBP-288, BSF-377, RAF-246).  The CPMF have provided medical first aid to 2773 persons, evacuated 3703 persons and 335 dead bodies were cremated/ buried.