Chennai:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today handed over a cheque of Rs one lakh to each of the 16 fishermen released from a jail in Iran, taking the total relief amount to Rs two lakh.
The fishermen called on her at the Secretariat to express their gratitude for her intervention which culminated in their release.
The families of the distressed fishermen belonging to Ramanathapuram, Nagapattinam and Kanyakumari districts have already been given financial assistance of Rs one lakh by the government when they were languishing in jail.
An official release said the Chief Minister advised the fishermen against venturing to foreign waters to avoid these incidents.
Also, to help fishermen buy boats, which would cost Rs 60 lakh, the State government would provide a subsidy of Rs 30 lakh and arrange bank loan for the balance amount, it said.