Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang said here today the State Government would also move the Centre, the Reserve Bank of India and NABARD to provide interest-free loan upto Rs 25,000 to each of the affected families.Gamang was addressing a press conference unveiling apackage to tackle the situation caused by the October 29 super cyclone.

The devastation had caused untold misery to about 15 million people in 12 coastal districts with several lakh people rendered homeless, he said. The toll stood at 9,544. Repudiating the intense criticism his government was subjected to for its "inept handling" of the situation, Gamang denied that the administration had failed to rise to the occasion.

Thegovernment has done its best under the circumstances, given the fact that the destruction was wrought in a period of 36 hours, he said adding that the rescue, relief and restoration operations launched by his government were the biggest in livi living memory.

The Chief Minister alleged that while the Government machinery was busy providing succour to the hungry millions, a deliberate conspiracy had been hatched by some to loot the relief trucks and block flow of relief materials to the affected areas.

While declining to name the conspirators, Gamang said he had asked the police to investigate into the matter and nab the culprits. "I do not understand their motive and certainly the actual cyclone affected people were not involved in the looting," he said.

The Chief Minister said the Centre would be requested to waive small loans upto Rs 5,000 and reschedule payment of loan above Rs 5,000 meant for the cyclone victims.

The 21-point package also included provision of fifty percent subsidy on supply ofagricultural seeds and twenty kg of rice per month for five months at subsidised rate to all the cyclone affected families in the coastal districts.

The Centre had approved the programme to provide subsidised rice to the affected people, he said.

The State Government had urged the centre and the insurance companies to provide crop insurance to the non-insured farmers affected by the recent cyclone and flood, the Chief Minister said.