PUDUCHERRY: Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Tuesday announced a financial assistance of Rs 1000 each to unorganized sector workers and Rs 2000 each to construction workers affected by the lockdown.
Briefing the media, the Chief Minister said the amount would be deposited in their bank accounts. 28160 unorganised sector labourers and 42357 construction workers in all four regions of the Union territory would benefit, he added. This is in addition to Rs 2000 already deposited into the bank accounts of all ration card holders in the Union territory.
The Chief Minister said the UT is passing through a time of severe financial crisis as state revenues have declined sharply since there is no economic activity. While some states are giving only half of the salary to employees, the Puducherry government has managed to disburse the full salary for the month of March to its employees, he said.
Similarly people have been provided with relief as the government could not watch them going hungry, he said, adding that the Centre has provided only rice which is not enough. The Chief Minister said when the Prime Minister had spoken to him over the phone last Sunday, he requested him to release funds for the Union territory which the PM agreed to consider.
He said as per the central government guidelines, some relaxation was given to the lockdown here following which the agricultural sector and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act workers resumed work.
As many as 250 industrial units applied for permits to start functioning with 30 percent capacity. Their applications were being scrutinized and none has been given permission so far as they have to comply with strict guidelines, said the Chief Minister.