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Nirmala Sitharaman announces Rs 1.7 lakh cr package for poor people

Updated: Mar 26, 2020 10:12:25am
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Nirmala Sitharaman announces Rs 1.7 lakh cr package for poor people

New Delhi, Mar 26 (KNN) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced a slew of measures to fight calm a little the distressed economic situation amid setback due to Coronavirus pandemic and 21- days lockdown.

Sitharaman asserted that the economic relief package would focus primarily on migrant labourers and daily wage labourers.

"A package is ready for the poor who need immediate help like migrant workers and urban and rural poor. No one will go hungry. The package is worth Rs 1.7 lakh crore," Sitharaman said in press conference.

Further assuring people, the finance Minister said that the government has been working to protect the interests of those affected directly since the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojna (PMGKY) which is a part of the relief package, at least 80 crore poor people will be covered. Under the scheme, an additional five kilos of rice/wheat will be given along with 1-kilo pulse per household for a period of three months.

She also said that there will be Rs 50 lakh insurance cover for each healthcare worker for three months adding that ''BPL families will get free cylinders for three months under the Ujjawala scheme as well.''

The finance minister had already announced some measures on Tuesday that included extension of tax deadlines, easing minimum balance norms for savings account, and increasing threshold of insolvency filing to Rs one crore from Rs one lakh.

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