PRADHAN MANTRI GARIB KALYAN PACKAGE

March 28, 2020

The Union Finance Minister announced Rs 1.70 Lakh Crore relief package under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana for the poor to help them fight the battle against Corona Virus.

Following are the components of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package:

Insurance cover of Rs 50 Lakh per health worker fighting COVID-19 to be provided under Insurance Scheme
80 crore poor people will to get 5 kg wheat or rice and 1 kg of preferred pulses for free every month for the next three months under PM Garib Kalyan Ann (अन्न) Yojana.
Benefit to farmers: The first instalment of Rs 2,000 due in 2020-21 will be front-loaded and paid in April 2020 itself under the PM KISAN Yojana. It would cover 8.7 crore farmers
A total of 20.40 crores PMJDY women account-holders would be given an ex-gratia of Rs 500 per month for next three months.
Gas cylinders, free of cost, would be provided to 8 crore poor families for the next three months.
Wage-earners below Rs 15,000 per month in businesses having less than 100 workers are at risk of losing their employment. Under this package, government proposes to pay 24 percent of their monthly wages into their PF accounts for next three months.
Government will give Rs 1,000 to senior citizens (above 60 years), widows and Divyang tide over difficulties during next three months.
MNREGA wages would be increased by Rs 20 with effect from 1 April, 2020. Wage increase under MNREGA will provide an additional Rs 2,000 benefit annually to a worker. This will benefit approximately 13.62 crore families.
Women organised through 63 lakhs Self Help Groups (SHGs) support 6.85 crore households. Limit of collateral free lending would be increased from Rs 10 to Rs 20 lakhs.
Employees’ Provident Fund Regulations will be amended to include Pandemic as the reason to allow non-refundable advance of 75 percent of the amount or three months of the wages, whichever is lower, from their accounts.
Welfare Fund for Building and Other Constructions Workers has been created under a Central Government Act. State Governments will be given directions to utilise this fund to provide assistance.
The State Government will be asked to utilise the funds available under District Mineral Fund (DMF) for supplementing and augmenting facilities of medical testing.