₹500 for 3 months, free cylinders to benefit poor women

NEWDELHI: Unionfinanceminister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced ₹500 a month for the next three months for 200 million poor women as part of a ₹1,70,000 crore package of direct cash transfers and food for the poor to tide over the nationwide lockdown imposed on Wednesday to check the Covid-19 spread.

She said the money will be transferred to the account holders of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, which was launched in 2014 to provide financial services to the poor and included the opening of no-frills bank accounts. Sitharaman said the government will set aside ₹31000 crore for it.

Gas cylinders will also be provided free of cost to 80 million poor families for the next three months. The government has set aside ₹13,000 crore for this.

Sitharaman announced ₹1,000 as social pension for the next three months for widows, differently-abled and the elderly. “We do not want anyone to remain hungry,” said Sitharaman.

As many as 6.3 million women organised through self-help groups, which support 68.5 million households, will get the benefit of additional credit availability. The collateral-free loans provided for the groups under the National Rural Livelihood Mission has been doubled to ₹20 lakh.

Aasha Kapur Mehta, a visiting professor at Delhi’s Institute for Human Development, said, “Food and essential items are desperately needed and the ration will ensure that families do not starve.”