Special Covid Assistance of ₹1690.46 Cr to support poor: CM Naveen Patnaik

CM Naveen Patnaik said the assistance will benefit landless farmers, construction workers, tribal communities, and students among others

As the COVID-19 epidemic wreaked havoc on the economy and forced millions into poverty, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik offered Rs. 1,690.46 crore in aid for the economically and socially vulnerable.

Landless farmers, construction workers, urban poor, especially vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs), beneficiaries of the State Food Security Scheme (SFSS) and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, and physically challenged students would all benefit from the package.

“CM @Naveen_Odisha announced Special Covid Assistance of ₹ 1690.46 Cr to support life and livelihood of poor and vulnerable people who have been impacted by #COVID19. The assistance will benefit landless farmers, construction workers, tribal communities, and students among others,” CM’s Office said.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office, 17.89 lakh landless farmers would receive a special monetary aid of ₹1,000 under the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) programme, which has a budget of ₹178.911 crore.

Mukhyamantri Karma Tatpara Abhiyan or Mukta Yojana (MUKTA), a plan for urban wage employment, has received ₹260 crore from the government. Between April and June, it was agreed to provide MGNREGA workers an extra ₹50 on top of their regular pay. During this time, 6 crore man-days have been created, equating to a government expenditure of ₹300 crore.

The CM’s Office informed, “₹ 300 Cr Special Covid assistance will be distributed among the MGNREGS workers while ₹ 92 Cr will be spent to provide 5 kg of rice per person per month under SFSS. ₹ 6 Cr has been allocated for various interventions under @SSEPD2.”

Each registered construction worker will get a special COVID-19 aid of ₹1,500, with a total cost of ₹360 crore.

“₹ 285 Cr will be spent to provide livelihood support to 13 PVTG communities & continuation of pre-matric scholarship to ST & SC students. Naveen Patnaik has also announced ₹ 360 Cr to provide one-time assistance of ₹ 1500 to registered construction workers,” the chief minister’s office said.

Similarly, from July to November, the government would distribute 5 kg of free rice to SFSS recipients, with a budget of ₹92.86 crore set aside for this purpose.

The CM Naveen Patnaik also announced a payment of ₹5,000 to 66,214 PVTG members.