BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government on Wednesday provided special Covid financial assistance of Rs 5,000 each to 64,214 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of the State. The money was directly deposited in the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.
Launching the initiative, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the livelihoods of all sections of people including the PVTGs. Stating that the PVTGs are alone in this hour of crisis, he said that the government is always with them and working for their welfare.
The Chief Minister said that 314 PVTGs were affected with Covid-19, but all of them have recovered. The affected PVTGs were given a ration kit of Rs 2,500 and compensation of Rs 1,400 each. He said that there are 1,679 PVTG villages in the State and the government is managing the situation by distributing masks, sanitisers and soaps in the areas.
He said that the government is focusing on vaccination of the PVTGs and 18 ambulances have been pressed into the service in the PVTG villages. He requested the tribals to take two doses of vaccination to keep Covid-19 away.
The State government also provided pre-matric scholarships to 60,000 Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students for three months - April, May and June. The scholarship money was deposited in the accounts of the parents of the students. The girl students get a scholarship of Rs 2400 each while for boys, the scholarship amount is Rs 2250. The government had also paid advance scholarships to the SC and ST students during the pandemic last year.
Stating that the students are staying in their homes during the last two years because of the pandemic, the Chief Minister requested them to concentrate on their studies. He spoke to some PVTG families in Kalahandi and Rayagada districts. They informed the Chief Minister that they have been vaccinated. He also spoke to some students who received the scholarship today.