Odisha CM Declares Special Aid of Rs 1690 Crore For Financially Weaker People

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday announced Rs 1,690.46 crore special COVID assistance package for financially weaker people in the state who has been severely affected due to Covid pandemic.

This will benefit landless farmers, construction workers, people living below poverty line, primitive groups, State Food Security Act beneficiaries, NREGA workers and differently abled students.

Announcing the special aid, Naveen Patnaik said that the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has severely affected the poor people who have been the worst affected financially and thus the government is announcing a special aid for them.

Under the special package 17.38 lakh families of landless farmers will get additional assistance of Rs 1,000 under KALIA scheme. An assistance of Rs 207 crore will be provided to the landless farmers in three instalments under the KALIA scheme.

Similarly, to provide employment to the urban poor during the Covid Lockdown, the state government has been implementing the Mukta Scheme. Under the scheme, Rs 240 crore will be provided to the poor living in 116 municipalities of the state by December 2021. 

Workers working under the NREGS scheme will be paid an additional Rs 50 per day as the Chief Minister’s assistance. From April 21 to June 21, the state government will pay Rs 300 crore for the increased wages. 

Rs 33.10 crore will be given to the 13 indigenous tribes of Odisha. Each family from the indigenous tribes will be given Rs 5000. The money will be deposited directly into their bank account.

Similarly, the pre-matric scholarships of SC and ST students will be credited to their parent’s accounts directly from April 21 to September 21 in two phases. Rs 252.35 crore will be spent on this, informed CM Patnaik.

The Chief Minister further announced Rs 1,500 crore for special construction workers in the state. Rs 360 crore will be spent on this.

Under the Banishree scholarships for differently abled students, each student will get a scholarship between Rs 200 and Rs 350 (depending on class) from April 21 to June 21. Rs 3,92 will be spent on the scholarship. Similarly, special school students who stay at home and study online will be paid Rs 1,265 per month for food expenses from April 21 to June 21.