Several states announce monetary aid for workers stranded outside state

Image Courtesy:india.com

While the country is dealing with the coronavirus outbreak and battling not just this pandemic and the migrant population is bearing the brutal brunt of the lockdown, some news of hope for them has emerged.

Media reports cited that the Jharkhand government has launched a mobile application to help those stranded anywhere outside the state due to the pandemic. Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren launched the (Jharkhand Corona Sahayta Application (Special Assistance Mobile Application) last week with the objective to identify migrants stranded outside the state so that the State Government could provide them Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of one time money as immediate economic assistance.

The app can be downloaded by visiting the Jharkhand government website and is only for those who belong to the State. The beneficiaries are supposed to have an Aadhaar card and a bank account with any of the government banks situated across the State to avail the monetary help.

After launching the app, Soren said, “This is an effort to reach out to the labour force stranded outside the state. Within a week, financial assistance will be made available to the states people who are outside the state.”

“During these difficult times, the government is sensitive and concerned about labourers, the poor, tribals, dalits and other needy people as they have gone to other states for work due to lack of employment in the state and their problems increased due to lockdown,” Soren added.

The State Cabinet on Monday had decided on a DBT of Rs. 2,000 in the accounts of the heads of families stranded outside the state.

Not just this, the Meghalaya government too has informed that it will provide one-time cash support of Rs. 3,000 to individuals of the State stranded in different parts of the country.

The Sentinel reported Chief Secretary MS Rao saying, “State governments across the country are providing support to these individuals. To further ease their discomfort, it is decided that the State Government will provide financial assistance through the Chief Minister’s Special Grant.”

Speaking to Northeast Now, Deputy CM Prestone Tynsong said that the state government would pay Rs. 2,100 to daily wage earners for three weeks from March 23. However, Tynsong said only construction workers already registered with the government under the Central Act are getting Rs. 1,000 per week per worker.

“The state labour department has proposed to extend the financial benefit to workers working in an unorganized sector at Rs. 700 per worker which comes to Rs. 2,100 each for three weeks. There are around 1.20 lakh such workers.”

Students and those working outside the state will also get Rs. 3,000 as one-time assistance. However, those who are working under the state and central governments outside the state are not entitled for the benefits.

The Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar governments too have decided to provide Rs. 1,000 to those state citizens stranded elsewhere in the country.

The Sikkim government has announced that it has decided patients from the state who are stranded outside because of the lockdown with a one-time aid of Rs 30,000. “With a view to mitigate the hardship of those patients who are undergoing treatment in various hospitals outside the State and are stranded due to the lockdown on account of COVID-19 pandemic, the State Government has decided to provide financial relief amounting to Rs 30,000 per patient from the Chief Ministers Relief Fund,” said a notification issued in this regard by Chief Secretary S C Gupta, reported The Economic Times.

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