MUMBAI: Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday approved a fund of Rs 45 crore for the food, shelter and other facilities for the migrant labourers stranded in Maharashtra due to lockdown amid coronavirus outbreak.
The CM also announced that those infected by the virus will be treated under the Mahatma Phule Public Health scheme. “We appeal to the migrant labourers from other states not to move from their locations. They can contact the control rooms managed by various officials concerned. The officials will help to set up the community kitchen and provide other facilities as well,” Thackeray said.
Maharastra detected 220 COVID-19 patients out of which eight died. The highest coronavirus positive are reported in Mumbai (92) followed by Pune (43), Sangli (25), Thane (23) and Nagpur (16).
Food and civil supply minister Chagan Bhujbal has said ration Card-holder farmers in 14 districts of Vidarbha and Marathwada who were not covered under the National Food Security Act earlier will now be given the benefit under the scheme.
“Under the scheme, beneficiaries will be provided with ration at concessional rate in April, May and June 2020. They will be given five kg food grains per head. These districts are Aurangabad, Jalna, Beed, Parbhani, Usmanabad, Latur, Hingoli in Aurangabad division; Amravati, Washim, Akola, Buldana, and Yavatmal in Amravati division and Wardha in Nagpur division. The APL card holder farmers in these districts will be given ration at concessional rate,” minister said.
Maharashtra government has also reduced the Shiv Bhojan charges from Rs 10 to Rs 5 in wake of coronavirus outbreak. Thackeray said that they have also increased one lakh more Shiv Thali so that no one will go hungry in Maharashtra.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena criticized the BJP lawmakers for not donating their one month salary to either chief minister or Prime minister relief fund.
Shiv Sena’s mouth piece Samana said that the BJP should not play politics in time of crisis. “Everyone is contributing either CM or PM relief fund, but BJP is not, why? What is there agenda? They did not want to be part of this mission tackling the corona virus,”Samana said.