BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday announced a Rs 100 crore package to provide livelihood support to around 4.5 lakh urban poor families affected by the nationwide lockdown.
The package will be implemented through the soon-to-be-launched Urban Wage Employment Initiative (UWEI). The initiative will help the poor families residing in all the 114 urban local bodies (ULBs) of the State with sustainable livelihood options.
The Chief Minister said the programme, to be implemented by the Mission Shakti Department, will continue till September in order to create livelihood opportunities for workers, labourers and daily wagers. The new initiative will give priority to labour intensive work. The wages of every beneficiary will be credited directly to his/her bank account every week, he said and added that the programme will be implemented by strictly following the social distancing norms and other pandemic guidelines.
Observing that the people belonging to the economically weaker sections are the worst affected by the ongoing lockdown, Naveen said the programme aimed to alleviate their sufferings and uncertainties about future. A number of development works like cleaning of drains, sanitisation, digging and remediation of water bodies, remodelling of playgrounds, development of sports infrastructure and parks, and construction of public toilets will be undertaken under the programme.
Besides, local artists will also be provided with the opportunity to work and do wall-paintings and murals under beautification drives undertaken across towns and cities. “While the outbreak is affecting all segments of the population, it has hit hard socially and economically vulnerable sections of the society. The programme would help the economically weaker sections in this hour of crisis,” Naveen said.
1 +ve case on Saturday
Odisha on Saturday reported a fresh Covid-19 positive case taking the total number of cases to 61. The Patient No. 61, a 58-year-old man from Balasore with travel history to Jharkhand has left the health officials perplexed as he tested positive more than a month after his return.Meanwhile, three more persons from Bhubaneswar have recovered.