All 1099 schools in Nagai District, India's worst tsunami-hit area, have resumed functioning, an official announced on Tuesday.

The last two schools that used to work as temporary relief camps reopened on Monday, said R. Suresh, spokesman for the office of public relations.

During the past one month, the government built 8,541 temporary shelters in 41 locations and is now planning to set up permanent houses for the affected, Suresh said.

Suresh said the government has so far provided 58.5 million rupees (about 1.4 million US dollars) of compensation for damage in a bid to provide livelihood support to fishermen.

To prevent possible spread of any epidemic, 11 medical teams have been touring all the affected areas and monitoring the situation, he said.

In Nagai District, a total of 715 children were killed by the tidal waves, while 251 children became orphans and another 1,411 children lost one of their parents, Suresh said, adding that an orphanage has been set up in Nagappatinam, the main city of the district, and has admitted 100 children since Jan. 3.

The government also distributed free uniforms, books, and notebooks to the affected students after the disaster, he said.

At a news conference held on Monday, Colleter J. Radhakrishnan, chief of Nagai District's administration, said the major task for the government in next phase will be shifted to reconstruction and helping people to return to their works.

On Dec. 26, 2004, the tsunami swept throughout almost the whole coastline of India's southeastern area, killing 7,993 and left about 900,000 people displaced in Thamil Nadu.

In Nagai, a coastal district of Thamil Nadu, a government report said 6,065 bodies have been found so far and 1,706 have been reported missing.

(Xinhua News Agency February 1, 2005)