GUWAHATI: Union Finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, in the second tranche of announcement of the Atma Nirbhar Bharat package, informed that the central government has announced three packages for migrant labourers which are as follows.
1. The Central Government will be providing free food grain supply to migrant workers. Migrants who are neither NFSA nor state card beneficiaries in the state will be provided 5 kg of grain per person and 1 kg chana per family per month for 2 months. About 8 crore migrants are to be benefited and Rs 3500 crores will be spent.
2. One Nation One Ration Card will be implemented by which migrants will be able to access Public Distribution System (Ration) from any fair price Shop in India by March 2021. 67 crore beneficiaries in 23 states covering 83 % of PDS population will be covered by August 2020.
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3. The government will launch a scheme under PM Awas Yojana for migrant labour and urban poor to provide ease of living at affordable rent by converting government funded housing in the cities into Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHC) under PPP mode. Further incentivizing manufacturing units, industries, institution, associations as well as state and central government organisations to develop affordable rental housing complexes.
Moreover, the finance minister stated that the central government has permitted state governments to utilize State Disaster Respond Fund (SDRF) for setting up shelters for migrant workers and providing them food and water, etc.
She went on to add that Rs 11,002 crores has been released by central government to the states on 3rd April last, to augment the funds in their respective SDRF.
Hygienically prepared three meals a day are provided for the residents of Shelters for Urban Homeless (SUH) during the lockdown with effect from 28th March.
12,000 self-help groups have produced 3 crore masks and 1.20 lakh litres of sanitizers. This has also generated employment opportunities for the urban poor.
7,200 self-help groups of urban poor have been formed since 15th March.
For the migrant workers, MGNREGS support will be extended. Under this 14.62 crore persons-days of work will be generated till 13th May.
2.33 crore wage seekers have already been provided with jobs in 1.87 lakh gram panchayats. The drive has been undertaken to enrol returning migrants and states/UTs are advised to provide work to migrant workers as per provisions of the Act.