K Palaniswami handed over the relief to families of 177 fishermen who had gone missing. (File photo)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami today gave away Rs 35.40 crore as relief to families of 177 fishermen from various districts who went missing during cyclone 'Ockhi' last year.
The chief minister gave away Rs 20 lakh each to the 177 families, with Kanyakumari topping the list with 139 fishermen having gone missing during the devastating cyclone.
Kanyakumari faced the fury of the 'Ockhi' cyclone that struck the district in November last, with the fishermen community bearing the brunt of the weather system.
An official release here said that besides those from Kanyakumari, fishermen from Tuticorin, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore and Puthukottai had also gone missing.
Mr Palaniswami gave away the relief amounts to the families of the missing fishermen from these districts too.
The release recalled that 27 fishermen from Tuticorin, Nagapattinam and Kanyakumari had been killed then, and that a solatium of Rs 20 lakh has already been provided to their families through the respective district collectors.