Panel set up for victims of Mumbai blasts

Maharashtra's Cabinet of ministers on Wednesday cleared the setting up of a committee of top corporate heads to suggest measures to help rehabilitate the families of the victims (those dead or seriously injured) of the twin-bomb explosions in Mumbai on August 25.

The committee will be chaired by Rahul Bajaj, chairman, Bajaj Auto.

Its others members include Mukesh Ambani, chairman Reliance Industries, Adi Godreja, chairman, Godrej group, Anand Mahindra, vice-chairman and managing director, Mahindra & Mahindra, V N Dhoot, chairman, Videocon group, Deepak Parekh, chairman HDFC, Nana Chudasama, chairman Save Mumbai Committee, and the principal secretary (relief and rehabilitation).

The committee will evaluate the corpus required to carry out the rehabilitation of those adversely affected by the blasts. It will recommend measures for the families of the deceased as well as those grievously injured.

It will also interact with various financial, voluntary and state government institutions for assistance in rehabilitating persons affected by the blasts.

Addressing mediapersons, Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said: "The state cabinet has also cleared the proposal for setting up a one-man commission under former judge P B Samant to probe the corruption charges levelled by social crusader Anna Hazare against four cabinet members in the Democratic Front government.

The commission will also probe the allegations of malpractice levelled against Hazare by minister for food and civil supplies and consumer protection Suresh Dada Jain."

Shinde also announced the cabinet decision to reduce the penal interest rate on the seed capital provided to educated unemployed youth in the state from 14 per cent to three per cent.

Since 1993, when this scheme to encourage entrepreneurship among the educated unemployed was launched, a total of Rs 82 crore has been disbursed as seed capital in Maharashtra.

The cabinet also approved a proposal that empowers a two-thirds majority in the gram sabha in rural Maharashtra to recall the gram panchayat, sarpanch and deputy sarpanch in the event of financial irregularities.