Scant aid for low-caste villagers hit by south India floods: charities
By Nita Bhalla and Sandhya Ravishankar CHENNAI/NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Hundreds of poor lower-caste families who lost their homes and jobs after devastating floods swept southern India have been neglected by government relief efforts, a survey conducted by two charities has found. About 280 people have died and more than 400,000 have been displaced across Tamil Nadu state since torrential rains began in early November, swelling rivers and reservoirs and inundating the state capital Chennai and neighboring coastal districts. A study of the first days of the floods found that although low-caste or “Dalit” families were the group worst hit by the floods, few had received any help, said National Dalit Watch and Social Awareness Society for Youth – Tamil Nadu.