‘Not just about giving money’: Lokesh pledges long-term support for steel blast families

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective.

First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming.

Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day.

Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers

Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there

The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features.

IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh, with Union Minister of State Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, MP M. Sribharat and TDP State president Palla Srinivasa Rao, meeting the kin of workers killed in the RINL steel plant blast, in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: V. Raju

IT Minister Nara Lokesh on Tuesday (June 9, 2026) said that the government was not merely extending financial assistance to the families of the victims of the recent blast at the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), but was standing firmly with them during one of the most difficult phases of their lives.

Speaking to the media at the plant after inspecting the accident site, Mr. Lokesh said that the first phase of compensation of ₹25 lakh would be provided to the families immediately, as directed by Union Minister for Steel H. D. Kumaraswamy. He added that after the completion of the final rites and the traditional 11-day mourning period, the affected families would be invited to Amaravati for detailed discussions on their future welfare and rehabilitation.

“The focus should not only be on compensation but also on securing the future of the victims’ families. Special attention must be paid to the education and welfare of their children,” he said.

Responding to a minor altercation that occurred at King George Hospital (KGH) among some worker union representatives, Mr. Lokesh alleged that a few union members raised irrelevant issues and reduced the discussion to financial compensation alone.

“It is not just about giving money. We have to ensure long-term support to the affected families,” he said.

ALSO WATCH Watch: 8 dead, 6 critical after explosion at Vizag steel plant

Highlighting the response of the NDA governments at both the Centre and the State, Mr. Lokesh noted that Union Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy reached the accident site within hours of the incident. Home Minister V. Anitha, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, Visakhapatnam MP M. Sribharat and several NDA leaders were continuously monitoring the situatio