BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday announced a Rs 2,200 crore package to assist the weaker sections of the society who have been hit hard due to the unprecedented lockdown for three weeks in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Patnaik said that the package will benefit about 1.64 crore people of the state out of the total population of 4.5 crore. "The novel coronavirus has emerged as a major crisis for people across the globe. This crisis has affected the life and livelihood of our poor people. Therefore, I announce a special package of Rs 2,200 crore for the welfare of the poor," he said in video message.
The Chief Minister said all the 94 lakh poor families covered under the food security scheme will get financial assistance of Rs 1,000 each for which Rs 932 crore will be spent. Besides, the state government has also started providing foodgrains for three months to all the beneficiaries, he added.
The state government is also providing advance social security pension for four months to 48 lakh beneficiaries. The state will bear an expenditure of around Rs 932 crore towards this measure, he said. Similarly, 22 lakh construction workers will get Rs 1,500 each for the losses incurred due to the lockdown, he said and added that Rs 932 crore will be spent for this.