NEW DELHI: India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today announced a relief package worth Rs 1.70 lakh crore in a bid to support the country’s poor to tackle the financial adversities arising from the new coronavirus outbreak.
Minister Sitharaman said the relief package would primarily focus on daily wage laborers and migrant laborers, Indian media reports have said.
She said that the package has been ready for the poor, and those who need immediate help.
“No one will go hungry,” she said adding that the package includes a mix of food security and direct cash transfer benefits.
Likewise, under the Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Ann Yojna — a part of the relief package — at least 80 crore poor people will be covered, media reports said.
An additional five kilos of wheat and rice will be given to 80 crore people along with a one-kilo pulse per household for three months.
The government said it will spend as much as Rs 45,000 crore for undertaking these measures.
Likewise, the Minister said that there will be Rs 50 lakh insurance cover for every healthcare worker for three months. (With inputs from Agencies)
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