Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced that more than 80 crore poor people will get free additional 5 kg rice or wheat and 1 kg pulse every month for the next three 3 months amid coronavirus lockdown in the country as part of Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana. Over 80 crore ration cardholders will each get 5 kg of wheat or rice and one kg of preferred pulses free of cost every month for the next three months to ensure that poor are not hungry because of the closedown of businesses. Poor women, who get free cooking gas under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana during the last three years, will get free LPG refills in the next three months to tide over tight finance following the nationwide lockdown, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, adding this will benefit 83 crore, women.
People can avail these food items in single or two instalments. Overall, the government announced Rs 1.7 lakh crore relief package for the poor as their livelihood has been affected due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Among other announcements, Sitharaman said more than 20 crore women Jan Dhan Account holders will also get Rs 500 per month for the next three months to run their households. For poor senior citizens, widow and disabled will get an ex-gratia of Rs 1,000. Also, the daily wage under MNREGA has been increased to Rs 202 a day from Rs 182 to benefit 5 crore workers. The minister said the government will front-load Rs 2,000 payment to farmers in the first week of April under the existing PM Kishan Yojana to benefit 8.69 crore farmers. Also, the beneficiaries of Ujjwala LPG scheme will get free cooking gas for the next three months, she said. This forms part of the Rs 1.70 lakh crore Gramin Kalyan Package.
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The government will also pay the entire EPF (Employees' Provident Fund) contribution that is of both of the employer and the employee (12 per cent each) for the next three months in wake of coronavirus outbreak. The total contribution government will pay for 3 months is 24 per cent.
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